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

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 INTC, 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 15 uncommon options trades for Intel ( INTC ).

This isn't normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 33% bullish and 53%, bearish.

Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 8 are puts, for a total amount of $1,287,568, and 7 are calls, for a total amount of $322,067.

Predicted Price Range

Taking into account the Volume and Open Interest on these contracts, it appears that whales have been targeting a price range from $13.0 to $30.0 for Intel ( INTC ) over the last 3 months.

Volume & Open Interest Trends

Assessing the volume and open interest is a strategic step in options trading. These metrics shed light on the liquidity and investor interest in Intel's ( INTC ) options at specified strike prices. The forthcoming data visualizes the fluctuation in volume and open interest for both calls and puts, linked to Intel's ( INTC ) substantial trades, within a strike price spectrum from $13.0 to $30.0 over the preceding 30 days.

Intel Option Activity Analysis: Last 30 Days

Largest Options Trades Observed:

About Intel

Intel ( INTC ) is a leading digital chipmaker, focused on the design and manufacturing of microprocessors for the global personal computer and data center markets. Intel ( INTC ) pioneered the x86 architecture for microprocessors and was the prime proponent of Moore's law for advances in semiconductor manufacturing. Intel ( INTC ) remains the market share leader in central processing units in both the PC and server end markets. Intel ( INTC ) has also been expanding into new adjacencies, such as communications infrastructure, automotive, and the Internet of Things. Further, Intel ( INTC ) expects to leverage its chip manufacturing capabilities into an outsourced foundry model where it constructs chips for others.

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

Current Position of Intel

Currently trading with a volume of 27,088,792, the INTC's price is up by 1.61%, now at $19.51.

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

Anticipated earnings release is in 15 days.

What Analysts Are Saying About Intel

A total of 1 professional analysts have given their take on this stock in the last 30 days, setting an average price target of $21.0.

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* Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from Mizuho keeps a Neutral rating on Intel ( INTC ) with a target price of $21.

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