Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bullish stance on IBM ( IBM ) .

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 IBM ( IBM ), 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 18 uncommon options trades for IBM ( IBM ).

This isn't normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 50% bullish and 27%, bearish.

Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 6 are puts, for a total amount of $365,840, and 12 are calls, for a total amount of $619,814.

Projected Price Targets

Taking into account the Volume and Open Interest on these contracts, it appears that whales have been targeting a price range from $175.0 to $250.0 for IBM ( IBM ) over the last 3 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 IBM's ( IBM ) options at specified strike prices. The forthcoming data visualizes the fluctuation in volume and open interest for both calls and puts, linked to IBM's ( IBM ) substantial trades, within a strike price spectrum from $175.0 to $250.0 over the preceding 30 days.

IBM Option Activity Analysis: Last 30 Days

Noteworthy Options Activity:

About IBM

IBM ( IBM ) looks to be a part of every aspect of an enterprise's IT needs. The company primarily sells software, IT services, consulting, and hardware. IBM ( IBM ) operates in 175 countries and employs approximately 350,000 people. The company has a robust roster of 80,000 business partners to service 5,200 clients, which includes 95% of all Fortune 500. While IBM ( IBM ) is a B2B company, IBM's ( IBM ) outward impact is substantial. For example, IBM ( IBM ) manages 90% of all credit card transactions globally and is responsible for 50% of all wireless connections in the world.

Having examined the options trading patterns of IBM ( IBM ), our attention now turns directly to the company. This shift allows us to delve into its present market position and performance

Where Is IBM Standing Right Now?

With a trading volume of 1,512,311, the price of IBM ( IBM ) is up by 0.14%, reaching $224.73.

Current RSI values indicate that the stock is is currently neutral between overbought and oversold.

Next earnings report is scheduled for 34 days from now.

What Analysts Are Saying About IBM

In the last month, 1 experts released ratings on this stock with an average target price of $222.0.

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* An analyst from Morgan Stanley has decided to maintain their Equal-Weight rating on IBM ( IBM ), which currently sits at a price target of $222.

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