Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bearish stance on Lam Research ( LRCX ) .

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 LRCX, 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 Lam Research ( LRCX ).

This isn't normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 20% bullish and 80%, bearish.

Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 5 are puts, for a total amount of $1,048,853, and 5 are calls, for a total amount of $318,272.

Projected Price Targets

Analyzing the Volume and Open Interest in these contracts, it seems that the big players have been eyeing a price window from $73.5 to $86.0 for Lam Research ( LRCX ) during the past quarter.

Volume & Open Interest Trends

Looking at the volume and open interest is a powerful move while trading options. This data can help you track the liquidity and interest for Lam Research's ( LRCX ) options for a given strike price. Below, we can observe the evolution of the volume and open interest of calls and puts, respectively, for all of Lam Research's ( LRCX ) whale trades within a strike price range from $73.5 to $86.0 in the last 30 days.

Lam Research Option Activity Analysis: Last 30 Days

Significant Options Trades Detected:

About Lam Research

Lam Research ( LRCX ) is one of the largest semiconductor wafer fabrication equipment manufacturers in the world. It specializes in deposition and etch, which entail the buildup of layers on a semiconductor and the subsequent selective removal of patterns from each layer. Lam holds the top market share in etch and holds the clear second share in deposition. It is more exposed to memory chipmakers for DRAM and NAND chips. It counts as top customers the largest chipmakers in the world, including TSMC, Samsung, Intel, and Micron.

After a thorough review of the options trading surrounding Lam Research ( LRCX ), we move to examine the company in more detail. This includes an assessment of its current market status and performance.

Lam Research's Current Market Status

Currently trading with a volume of 3,060,636, the LRCX's price is up by 1.41%, now at $77.67.

RSI readings suggest the stock is currently may be approaching overbought.

Anticipated earnings release is in 44 days.

What Analysts Are Saying About Lam Research

A total of 3 professional analysts have given their take on this stock in the last 30 days, setting an average price target of $82.0.

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.

* Maintaining their stance, an analyst from Morgan Stanley continues to hold a Equal-Weight rating for Lam Research ( LRCX ), targeting a price of $78.

* Maintaining their stance, an analyst from Wells Fargo continues to hold a Equal-Weight rating for Lam Research ( LRCX ), targeting a price of $83.

* Maintaining their stance, an analyst from Bernstein continues to hold a Market Perform rating for Lam Research ( LRCX ), targeting a price of $85.

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 Lam Research ( LRCX ), Benzinga Pro gives you real-time options trades alerts.