Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bearish stance on Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS).
And retail traders should know.
We noticed this today when the trades showed up on publicly available options history that we track here at Benzinga.
Whether these are institutions or just wealthy individuals, we don't know. But when something this big happens with MS, it often means somebody knows something is about to happen.
So how do we know what these investors just did?
Today, Benzinga's options scanner spotted 17 uncommon options trades for Morgan Stanley.
This isn't normal.
The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 41% bullish and 47%, bearish.
Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 4 are puts, for a total amount of $178,394, and 13 are calls, for a total amount of $905,631.
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 $70.0 to $160.0 for Morgan Stanley over the last 3 months.
Analyzing Volume & Open Interest
In today's trading context, the average open interest for options of Morgan Stanley stands at 2388.92, with a total volume reaching 1,966.00. The accompanying chart delineates the progression of both call and put option volume and open interest for high-value trades in Morgan Stanley, situated within the strike price corridor from $70.0 to $160.0, throughout the last 30 days.
Morgan Stanley Call and Put Volume: 30-Day Overview
Significant Options Trades Detected:
| Symbol | PUT/CALL | Trade Type | Sentiment | Exp. Date | Ask | Bid | Price | Strike Price | Total Trade Price | Open Interest | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MS | CALL | SWEEP | BULLISH | 01/17/25 | $29.95 | $29.35 | $29.95 | $100.00 | $299.5K | 14.1K | 102 |
| MS | CALL | TRADE | BULLISH | 01/17/25 | $4.25 | $3.6 | $4.25 | $127.00 | $174.2K | 281 | 410 |
| MS | CALL | TRADE | BEARISH | 02/21/25 | $7.0 | $6.75 | $6.75 | $125.00 | $60.0K | 1.4K | 12 |
| MS | PUT | SWEEP | BEARISH | 06/20/25 | $9.75 | $9.65 | $9.75 | $130.00 | $53.6K | 299 | 0 |
| MS | CALL | SWEEP | BEARISH | 02/21/25 | $2.68 | $2.67 | $2.67 | $135.00 | $50.1K | 1.6K | 502 |
About Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley is a global investment bank whose history, through its legacy firms, can be traced back to 1924. The company has institutional securities, wealth management, and investment management segments with approximately 45% of net revenue from its institutional securities business, 45% from wealth management, and 10% from investment management. About 30% of its total revenue is from outside the Americas. The company had over $5 trillion of client assets as well as around 80,000 employees at the end of 2023.
Current Position of Morgan Stanley
- With a trading volume of 2,824,929, the price of MS is up by 1.94%, reaching $128.38.
- Current RSI values indicate that the stock is may be approaching overbought.
- Next earnings report is scheduled for 10 days from now.
What The Experts Say On Morgan Stanley
In the last month, 1 experts released ratings on this stock with an average target price of $155.0.
Unusual Options Activity Detected: Smart Money on the Move
Benzinga Edge's Unusual Options board spots potential market movers before they happen. See what positions big money is taking on your favorite stocks. Click here for access.* Maintaining their stance, an analyst from Barclays continues to hold a Overweight rating for Morgan Stanley, targeting a price of $155.
Options trading presents higher risks and potential rewards. Astute traders manage these risks by continually educating themselves, adapting their strategies, monitoring multiple indicators, and keeping a close eye on market movements. Stay informed about the latest Morgan Stanley options trades with real-time alerts from Benzinga Pro.
