Merck & Co's Options: A Look at What the Big Money is Thinking

Author: Benzinga Insights | August 26, 2024 03:45pm

Financial giants have made a conspicuous bullish move on Merck & Co. Our analysis of options history for Merck & Co (NYSE:MRK) revealed 11 unusual trades.

Delving into the details, we found 63% of traders were bullish, while 36% showed bearish tendencies. Out of all the trades we spotted, 6 were puts, with a value of $345,354, and 5 were calls, valued at $202,967.

Predicted Price Range

Analyzing the Volume and Open Interest in these contracts, it seems that the big players have been eyeing a price window from $85.0 to $130.0 for Merck & Co during the past quarter.

Analyzing Volume & Open Interest

Looking at the volume and open interest is an insightful way to conduct due diligence on a stock.

This data can help you track the liquidity and interest for Merck & Co's 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 Merck & Co's whale activity within a strike price range from $85.0 to $130.0 in the last 30 days.

Merck & Co 30-Day Option Volume & Interest Snapshot

Noteworthy Options Activity:

Symbol	PUT/CALL	Trade Type	Sentiment	Exp. Date	Ask	Bid	Price	Strike Price	Total Trade Price	Open Interest	Volume
MRK	PUT	TRADE	BULLISH	01/16/26	$18.75	$18.1	$18.25	$130.00	$182.5K	332	100
MRK	CALL	SWEEP	BULLISH	09/06/24	$1.99	$1.98	$1.99	$116.00	$49.9K	180	327
MRK	CALL	SWEEP	BULLISH	01/17/25	$8.15	$8.05	$8.15	$115.00	$40.7K	2.1K	50
MRK	CALL	SWEEP	BEARISH	10/18/24	$1.86	$1.8	$1.81	$120.00	$39.8K	12.6K	635
MRK	CALL	SWEEP	BULLISH	09/06/24	$1.97	$1.96	$1.97	$116.00	$37.8K	180	520

About Merck & Co

Merck makes pharmaceutical products to treat several conditions in a number of therapeutic areas, including cardiometabolic disease, cancer, and infections. Within cancer, the firm's immuno-oncology platform is growing as a major contributor to overall sales. The company also has a substantial vaccine business, with treatments to prevent pediatric diseases as well as human papillomavirus, or HPV. Additionally, Merck sells animal health-related drugs. From a geographical perspective, just under half of the company's sales are generated in the United States.

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

Present Market Standing of Merck & Co

• With a trading volume of 3,209,934, the price of MRK is down by -0.19%, reaching $116.38.
• Current RSI values indicate that the stock is may be approaching overbought.
• Next earnings report is scheduled for 59 days from now.

Professional Analyst Ratings for Merck & Co

In the last month, 4 experts released ratings on this stock with an average target price of $138.5.

• Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from B of A Securities keeps a Buy rating on Merck & Co with a target price of $145.
• Maintaining their stance, an analyst from Barclays continues to hold a Overweight rating for Merck & Co, targeting a price of $142.
• An analyst from Wells Fargo persists with their Equal-Weight rating on Merck & Co, maintaining a target price of $125.
• An analyst from UBS has decided to maintain their Buy rating on Merck & Co, which currently sits at a price target of $142.

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 Merck & Co options trades with real-time alerts from Benzinga Pro.

Posted In: MRK