Someone with a lot of money to spend has taken a bearish stance on VMware (NYSE:VMW).
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 VMW, it often means somebody knows something is about to happen.
So how do we know what this whale just did?
Today, Benzinga's options scanner spotted 11 uncommon options trades for VMware.
This isn't normal.
The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 45% bullish and 54%, bearish.
Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 5 are puts, for a total amount of $595,607, and 6 are calls, for a total amount of $256,755.
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 $212.6 for VMware over the last 3 months.
Volume & Open Interest Development
In terms of liquidity and interest, the mean open interest for VMware options trades today is 629.75 with a total volume of 576.00.
In the following chart, we are able to follow the development of volume and open interest of call and put options for VMware's big money trades within a strike price range of $100.0 to $212.6 over the last 30 days.
VMware 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VMW | PUT | SWEEP | BEARISH | 01/19/24 | $180.00 | $430.2K | 0 | 71 |
| VMW | PUT | SWEEP | BULLISH | 01/19/24 | $212.60 | $65.1K | 0 | 7 |
| VMW | CALL | TRADE | NEUTRAL | 06/10/22 | $120.00 | $61.0K | 9 | 100 |
| VMW | CALL | TRADE | NEUTRAL | 05/27/22 | $120.00 | $53.9K | 1.7K | 102 |
| VMW | CALL | TRADE | BULLISH | 07/15/22 | $120.00 | $42.5K | 1.8K | 50 |
Where Is VMware Standing Right Now?
- With a volume of 1,290,898, the price of VMW is up 1.83% at $126.63.
- RSI indicators hint that the underlying stock may be approaching overbought.
- Next earnings are expected to be released in 90 days.
What The Experts Say On VMware:
- RBC Capital has decided to maintain their Outperform rating on VMware, which currently sits at a price target of $140.
- RBC Capital downgraded its action to Sector Perform with a price target of $142
- Mizuho has decided to maintain their Neutral rating on VMware, which currently sits at a price target of $115.
- Jefferies has decided to maintain their Hold rating on VMware, which currently sits at a price target of $105.
- Raymond James has decided to maintain their Outperform rating on VMware, which currently sits at a price target of $149.
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 {d[company_name]}, Benzinga Progives you real-time options trades alerts.
