Someone with a lot of money to spend has taken a bearish stance on Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO).
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 VLO, 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 Valero Energy.
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, 2 are puts, for a total amount of $164,310, and 9 are calls, for a total amount of $374,773.
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 $85.0 to $115.0 for Valero Energy 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 Valero Energy'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 Valero Energy's whale trades within a strike price range from $85.0 to $115.0 in the last 30 days.
Valero Energy 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VLO | PUT | TRADE | NEUTRAL | 08/12/22 | $90.00 | $132.3K | 35 | 1.2K |
| VLO | CALL | TRADE | BEARISH | 06/16/23 | $90.00 | $54.8K | 6 | 20 |
| VLO | CALL | TRADE | BEARISH | 09/16/22 | $115.00 | $50.0K | 2.4K | 334 |
| VLO | CALL | TRADE | BULLISH | 09/16/22 | $115.00 | $49.0K | 2.4K | 233 |
| VLO | CALL | SWEEP | BULLISH | 09/16/22 | $85.00 | $48.8K | 575 | 20 |
Where Is Valero Energy Standing Right Now?
- With a volume of 837,585, the price of VLO is up 1.87% at $108.3.
- RSI indicators hint that the underlying stock is currently neutral between overbought and oversold.
- Next earnings are expected to be released in 9 days.
What The Experts Say On Valero Energy:
- Barclays has decided to maintain their Overweight rating on Valero Energy, which currently sits at a price target of $133.
- Morgan Stanley has decided to maintain their Overweight rating on Valero Energy, which currently sits at a price target of $140.
- Piper Sandler has decided to maintain their Overweight rating on Valero Energy, which currently sits at a price target of $142.
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 Valero Energy, Benzinga Pro gives you real-time options trades alerts.
