Financial giants have made a conspicuous bearish move on Merck & Co. Our analysis of options history for Merck & Co (NYSE:MRK) revealed 8 unusual trades.

Delving into the details, we found 12% of traders were bullish, while 75% showed bearish tendencies. Out of all the trades we spotted, 2 were puts, with a value of $78,155, and 6 were calls, valued at $318,290.

What's The Price Target?

After evaluating the trading volumes and Open Interest, it's evident that the major market movers are focusing on a price band between $90.0 and $130.0 for Merck & Co, spanning the last three months.

Volume & Open Interest Trends

In today's trading context, the average open interest for options of Merck & Co stands at 1271.25, with a total volume reaching 107.00. The accompanying chart delineates the progression of both call and put option volume and open interest for high-value trades in Merck & Co, situated within the strike price corridor from $90.0 to $130.0, throughout the last 30 days.

Merck & Co 30-Day Option Volume & Interest Snapshot

Noteworthy Options Activity:

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.

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

Where Is Merck & Co Standing Right Now?

• With a trading volume of 2,717,064, the price of MRK is down by -0.68%, reaching $125.0.
• Current RSI values indicate that the stock is may be approaching oversold.
• Next earnings report is scheduled for 25 days from now.

Professional Analyst Ratings for Merck & Co

Over the past month, 2 industry analysts have shared their insights on this stock, proposing an average target price of $155.0.

• An analyst from Cantor Fitzgerald has revised its rating downward to Overweight, adjusting the price target to $155.
• In a cautious move, an analyst from Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded its rating to Overweight, setting a price target of $155.

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.