Someone with a lot of money to spend has taken a bearish stance on Merck & Co MRK.
And retail traders should know.
We noticed this today when the big position showed up on publicly available options history that we track here at Benzinga.
Whether this is an institution or just a wealthy individual, we don't know. But when something this big happens with MRK, it often means somebody knows something is about to happen.
Today, Benzinga's options scanner spotted 10 options trades for Merck & Co.
This isn't normal.
The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 20% bullish and 80%, bearish.
Out of all of the options we uncovered, there was 1 put, for a total amount of $303,000, and 9, calls, for a total amount of $346,830..
What's The Price Target?
Taking into account the Volume and Open Interest on these contracts, it appears that whales have been targeting a price range from $100.0 to $120.0 for Merck & Co over the last 3 months.
Volume & Open Interest Development
Looking at the volume and open interest is a powerful move while trading options. This data can help you track the liquidity and interest for Merck & Co's options for a given strike price. Below, we can observe the evolution of the volume and open interest of calls and puts, respectively, for all of Merck & Co's whale trades within a strike price range from $100.0 to $120.0 in the last 30 days.
Merck & Co Option Volume And Open Interest Over Last 30 Days
Biggest Options Spotted:
| Symbol | PUT/CALL | Trade Type | Sentiment | Exp. Date | Strike Price | Total Trade Price | Open Interest | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MRK | PUT | TRADE | BULLISH | 01/19/24 | $100.00 | $303.0K | 8.6K | 99 |
| MRK | CALL | TRADE | BEARISH | 06/21/24 | $110.00 | $69.4K | 1.1K | 153 |
| MRK | CALL | SWEEP | BEARISH | 04/19/24 | $110.00 | $50.2K | 1.2K | 10 |
| MRK | CALL | TRADE | BEARISH | 12/19/25 | $115.00 | $43.6K | 1.3K | 151 |
| MRK | CALL | TRADE | NEUTRAL | 12/19/25 | $115.00 | $38.9K | 1.3K | 0 |
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Where Is Merck & Co Standing Right Now?
- With a volume of 3,315,890, the price of MRK is up 0.63% at $103.5.
- RSI indicators hint that the underlying stock is currently neutral between overbought and oversold.
- Next earnings are expected to be released in 90 days.
What The Experts Say On Merck & Co:
- Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded its action to Overweight with a price target of $135
- Morgan Stanley has decided to maintain their Equal-Weight rating on Merck & Co, which currently sits at a price target of $115.
- Morgan Stanley has decided to maintain their Equal-Weight rating on Merck & Co, which currently sits at a price target of $118.
- BMO Capital upgraded its action to Outperform with a price target of $132
- Truist Securities downgraded its action to Buy with a price target of $122
Options are a riskier asset compared to just trading the stock, but they have higher profit potential. Serious options traders manage this risk by educating themselves daily, scaling in and out of trades, following more than one indicator, and following the markets closely.
If you want to stay updated on the latest options trades for Merck & Co, Benzinga Pro gives you real-time options trades alerts.
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Date of Trade | ticker | Put/Call | Strike Price | DTE | Sentiment |
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