Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bearish stance on American Express ( AXP ) .

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 AXP, 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 28 uncommon options trades for American Express ( AXP ).

This isn't normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 46% bullish and 53%, bearish.

Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 19 are puts, for a total amount of $1,043,273, and 9 are calls, for a total amount of $571,557.

Projected Price Targets

After evaluating the trading volumes and Open Interest, it's evident that the major market movers are focusing on a price band between $160.0 and $260.0 for American Express ( AXP ), spanning the last three months.

Analyzing Volume & Open Interest

Assessing the volume and open interest is a strategic step in options trading. These metrics shed light on the liquidity and investor interest in American Express's ( AXP ) options at specified strike prices. The forthcoming data visualizes the fluctuation in volume and open interest for both calls and puts, linked to American Express's ( AXP ) substantial trades, within a strike price spectrum from $160.0 to $260.0 over the preceding 30 days.

American Express Option Activity Analysis: Last 30 Days

Biggest Options Spotted:

About American Express

American Express ( AXP ) is a global financial institution, operating in about 130 countries, that provides consumers and businesses charge and credit card payment products. The company also operates a highly profitable merchant payment network. Since 2018, it has operated in three segments: global consumer services, global commercial services, and global merchant and network services. In addition to payment products, the company's commercial business offers expense management tools, consulting services, and business loans.

Present Market Standing of American Express

With a trading volume of 816,517, the price of AXP is down by -0.12%, reaching $227.41.

Current RSI values indicate that the stock is may be approaching overbought.

Next earnings report is scheduled for 18 days from now.

Professional Analyst Ratings for American Express

Over the past month, 1 industry analysts have shared their insights on this stock, proposing an average target price of $243.0.

An analyst from Evercore ISI Group has decided to maintain their In-Line rating on American Express ( AXP ), which currently sits at a price target of $243.

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 American Express ( AXP ), Benzinga Pro gives you real-time options trades alerts.