Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bearish stance on Applied Mat .

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 AMAT, 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 10 uncommon options trades for Applied Mat.

This isn't normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 20% bullish and 60%, bearish.

Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 2 are puts, for a total amount of $73,924, and 8 are calls, for a total amount of $632,367.

Predicted Price Range

After evaluating the trading volumes and Open Interest, it's evident that the major market movers are focusing on a price band between $135.0 and $250.0 for Applied Mat, spanning the last three months.

Volume & Open Interest Trends

Examining the volume and open interest provides crucial insights into stock research. This information is key in gauging liquidity and interest levels for Applied Mat's options at certain strike prices. Below, we present a snapshot of the trends in volume and open interest for calls and puts across Applied Mat's significant trades, within a strike price range of $135.0 to $250.0, over the past month.

Applied Mat 30-Day Option Volume & Interest Snapshot

Largest Options Trades Observed:

About Applied Mat

Applied Materials ( AMAT ) is the largest semiconductor wafer fabrication equipment, or WFE, manufacturer in the world. Applied Materials ( AMAT ) has a broad portfolio spanning nearly every corner of the WFE ecosystem. Specifically, Applied Materials ( AMAT ) holds a market share leadership position in deposition, which entails the layering of new materials on semiconductor wafers. It is more exposed to general-purpose logic chips made at integrated device manufacturers and foundries. It counts the largest chipmakers in the world as customers, including TSMC, Intel, and Samsung.

In light of the recent options history for Applied Mat, it's now appropriate to focus on the company itself. We aim to explore its current performance.

Current Position of Applied Mat

With a volume of 1,763,966, the price of AMAT is down -1.72% at $171.54.

RSI indicators hint that the underlying stock may be approaching oversold.

Next earnings are expected to be released in 79 days.

What The Experts Say On Applied Mat

In the last month, 5 experts released ratings on this stock with an average target price of $227.0.

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* Reflecting concerns, an analyst from Cantor Fitzgerald lowers its rating to Overweight with a new price target of $250.

* Maintaining their stance, an analyst from B of A Securities continues to hold a Buy rating for Applied Mat, targeting a price of $210.

* Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from Needham keeps a Buy rating on Applied Mat with a target price of $225.

* An analyst from TD Cowen persists with their Buy rating on Applied Mat, maintaining a target price of $230.

* An analyst from Wells Fargo persists with their Overweight rating on Applied Mat, maintaining a target price of $220.

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 Applied Mat options trades with real-time alerts from Benzinga Pro.