Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bearish stance on Mastercard ( MA ) .

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 MA, 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 12 uncommon options trades for Mastercard ( MA ).

This isn't normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 16% bullish and 50%, bearish.

Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 8 are puts, for a total amount of $728,919, and 4 are calls, for a total amount of $189,102.

Predicted Price Range

Analyzing the Volume and Open Interest in these contracts, it seems that the big players have been eyeing a price window from $400.0 to $620.0 for Mastercard ( MA ) during the past quarter.

Insights into Volume & Open Interest

In today's trading context, the average open interest for options of Mastercard ( MA ) stands at 49.29, with a total volume reaching 444.00. The accompanying chart delineates the progression of both call and put option volume and open interest for high-value trades in Mastercard ( MA ), situated within the strike price corridor from $400.0 to $620.0, throughout the last 30 days.

Mastercard 30-Day Option Volume & Interest Snapshot

Significant Options Trades Detected:

About Mastercard

Mastercard ( MA ) is the second-largest payment processor in the world, having processed close to $10 trillion in volume during 2024. Mastercard ( MA ) operates in over 200 countries and processes transactions in over 150 currencies.

Following our analysis of the options activities associated with Mastercard ( MA ), we pivot to a closer look at the company's own performance.

Present Market Standing of Mastercard

Trading volume stands at 113,128, with MA's price up by 1.15%, positioned at $598.75.

RSI indicators show the stock to be may be approaching overbought.

Earnings announcement expected in 69 days.

What Analysts Are Saying About Mastercard

In the last month, 5 experts released ratings on this stock with an average target price of $658.0.

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.

* Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from UBS keeps a Buy rating on Mastercard ( MA ) with a target price of $690.

* Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from Keybanc keeps a Overweight rating on Mastercard ( MA ) with a target price of $660.

* An analyst from Morgan Stanley has decided to maintain their Overweight rating on Mastercard ( MA ), which currently sits at a price target of $661.

* Maintaining their stance, an analyst from Truist Securities continues to hold a Buy rating for Mastercard ( MA ), targeting a price of $623.

* An analyst from RBC Capital persists with their Outperform rating on Mastercard ( MA ), maintaining a target price of $656.

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 Mastercard ( MA ), Benzinga Pro gives you real-time options trades alerts.