Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bearish stance on Meta Platforms ( META ) .

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 META, 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 26 uncommon options trades for Meta Platforms ( META ).

This isn't normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 26% bullish and 46%, bearish.

Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 14 are puts, for a total amount of $785,836, and 12 are calls, for a total amount of $1,050,269.

Expected Price Movements

Based on the trading activity, it appears that the significant investors are aiming for a price territory stretching from $20.0 to $655.0 for Meta Platforms ( META ) over the recent three months.

Insights into Volume & Open Interest

In terms of liquidity and interest, the mean open interest for Meta Platforms ( META ) options trades today is 3295.05 with a total volume of 7,998.00.

In the following chart, we are able to follow the development of volume and open interest of call and put options for Meta Platforms's ( META ) big money trades within a strike price range of $20.0 to $655.0 over the last 30 days.

Meta Platforms 30-Day Option Volume & Interest Snapshot

Largest Options Trades Observed:

About Meta Platforms

Meta is the largest social media company in the world, boasting close to 4 billion monthly active users worldwide. The firm's "Family of Apps," its core business, consists of Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp. End users can leverage these applications for a variety of different purposes, from keeping in touch with friends to following celebrities and running digital businesses for free. Meta packages customer data, gleaned from its application ecosystem and sells ads to digital advertisers. While the firm has been investing heavily in its Reality Labs business, it remains a very small part of Meta's overall sales.

In light of the recent options history for Meta Platforms ( META ), it's now appropriate to focus on the company itself. We aim to explore its current performance.

Meta Platforms's Current Market Status

Trading volume stands at 553,676, with META's price down by -0.54%, positioned at $605.03.

RSI indicators show the stock to be is currently neutral between overbought and oversold.

Earnings announcement expected in 15 days.

Expert Opinions on Meta Platforms

In the last month, 5 experts released ratings on this stock with an average target price of $698.0.

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.

* An analyst from Wells Fargo persists with their Overweight rating on Meta Platforms ( META ), maintaining a target price of $685.

* Maintaining their stance, an analyst from Wolfe Research continues to hold a Outperform rating for Meta Platforms ( META ), targeting a price of $730.

* Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from Keybanc keeps a Overweight rating on Meta Platforms ( META ) with a target price of $700.

* Maintaining their stance, an analyst from Jefferies continues to hold a Buy rating for Meta Platforms ( META ), targeting a price of $715.

* Maintaining their stance, an analyst from Morgan Stanley continues to hold a Overweight rating for Meta Platforms ( META ), targeting a price of $660.

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 Meta Platforms ( META ) options trades with real-time alerts from Benzinga Pro.