Unusual Options Activity Insight: Pfizer

Pfizer PFE shares experienced unusual options activity on Monday. The stock price moved down to $37.54 following the option alert.

• Sentiment: BULLISH
• Option Type: TRADE
• Trade Type: PUT
• Expiration Date: 2020-08-28
• Strike Price: $34.50
• Volume: 2300
• Open Interest: 93

3 Indications of Unusual Options Activity

One way option activity can be considered unusual is when volume is exceptionally high. The volume of options activity refers to the number of shares contracts traded for a day. Open interest describes unsettled contracts that have been traded but not closed by a counter-party. In other words, for each contract buyer, there must be a seller. A purchased contract remains open until a seller closes it, and vice versa.

A contract with an expiration date in the distant future is another tell of unusual activity. Generally, additional time until a contract expires increases the potential for it to reach its strike price and grow its time value. Time value is important in this context because it represents the difference between the strike price and the value of the underlying asset.

Contracts that are “out of the money” are also indicative of unusual option activity. “Out of the money” contracts occur when the underlying price is under the strike price on a call option, or above the strike price on a put option. These trades are made with the expectation that the value of the underlying asset is going to change dramatically in the future, and buyers and sellers will benefit from a greater profit margin.

Bullish and Bearish Sentiments

• Options are “bullish” when a call is purchased at/near ask price or a put is sold at/near bid price
• Options are “bearish” when a call is sold at/near bid price or a put is bought at/near ask price

Although the activity is suggestive of these strategies, these observations are made without knowing the investor’s true intentions when purchasing these options contracts. An observer cannot be sure if the bettor is playing the contract outright or if they’re hedging a large underlying position in a common stock. For the latter case, the exposure a large investor has on their short position in common stock may be more meaningful than bullish option activity.

Using These Strategies to Trade Options

Unusual options activity is an advantageous strategy that may greatly reward an investor if they are highly skilled, but for the less experienced trader, it should remain as another tool to make an educated investment decision while taking other observations into account.

For more information to understand options alerts, visit https://pro.benzinga.help/en/articles/1769505-how-do-i-understand-options-alerts