Spotlight on Morgan Stanley: Analyzing the Surge in Options Activity

Author: Benzinga Insights | April 05, 2024 04:30pm

Whales with a lot of money to spend have taken a noticeably bullish stance on Morgan Stanley.

Looking at options history for Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) we detected 9 trades.

If we consider the specifics of each trade, it is accurate to state that 55% of the investors opened trades with bullish expectations and 44% with bearish.

From the overall spotted trades, 5 are puts, for a total amount of $1,257,672 and 4, calls, for a total amount of $125,278.

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 $72.5 and $97.5 for Morgan Stanley, spanning the last three months.

Volume & Open Interest Development

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 Morgan Stanley'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 Morgan Stanley's whale activity within a strike price range from $72.5 to $97.5 in the last 30 days.

Morgan Stanley 30-Day Option Volume & Interest Snapshot

Significant Options Trades Detected:

Symbol	PUT/CALL	Trade Type	Sentiment	Exp. Date	Ask	Bid	Price	Strike Price	Total Trade Price	Open Interest	Volume
MS	PUT	TRADE	NEUTRAL	01/16/26	$13.25	$10.8	$11.85	$92.50	$888.7K	12	750
MS	PUT	SWEEP	BULLISH	10/18/24	$5.6	$5.5	$5.5	$90.00	$206.2K	955	0
MS	PUT	TRADE	BEARISH	10/18/24	$5.5	$5.45	$5.5	$90.00	$82.5K	955	525
MS	PUT	TRADE	BULLISH	06/20/25	$3.65	$3.4	$3.45	$72.50	$43.1K	1.7K	125
MS	PUT	SWEEP	BULLISH	06/21/24	$1.61	$1.59	$1.59	$85.00	$37.0K	3.2K	235

About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley is a global investment bank whose history, through its legacy firms, can be traced back to 1924. The company has institutional securities, wealth management, and investment management segments. The company had over $4 trillion of client assets as well as over 80,000 employees at the end of 2022. Approximately 50% of the company's net revenue is from its institutional securities business, with the remainder coming from wealth and investment management. The company derives about 30% of its total revenue outside the Americas.

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

Present Market Standing of Morgan Stanley

• With a trading volume of 4,654,319, the price of MS is up by 0.21%, reaching $92.47.
• Current RSI values indicate that the stock is may be approaching overbought.
• Next earnings report is scheduled for 11 days from now.

Professional Analyst Ratings for Morgan Stanley

5 market experts have recently issued ratings for this stock, with a consensus target price of $96.8.

• An analyst from HSBC has decided to maintain their Hold rating on Morgan Stanley, which currently sits at a price target of $100.
• An analyst from Keefe, Bruyette & Woods persists with their Market Perform rating on Morgan Stanley, maintaining a target price of $94.
• An analyst from RBC Capital downgraded its action to Sector Perform with a price target of $91.
• An analyst from Evercore ISI Group persists with their Outperform rating on Morgan Stanley, maintaining a target price of $102.
• Maintaining their stance, an analyst from Oppenheimer continues to hold a Outperform rating for Morgan Stanley, targeting a price of $97.

Trading options involves greater risks but also offers the potential for higher profits. Savvy traders mitigate these risks through ongoing education, strategic trade adjustments, utilizing various indicators, and staying attuned to market dynamics. Keep up with the latest options trades for Morgan Stanley with Benzinga Pro for real-time alerts.

Posted In: MS