Deep-pocketed investors have adopted a bullish approach towards IBM (NYSE:IBM), and it's something market players shouldn't ignore. Our tracking of public options records at Benzinga unveiled this significant move today. The identity of these investors remains unknown, but such a substantial move in IBM usually suggests something big is about to happen.

We gleaned this information from our observations today when Benzinga's options scanner highlighted 23 extraordinary options activities for IBM. This level of activity is out of the ordinary.

The general mood among these heavyweight investors is divided, with 39% leaning bullish and 39% bearish. Among these notable options, 2 are puts, totaling $67,464, and 21 are calls, amounting to $1,841,940.

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 $130.0 to $250.0 for IBM over the last 3 months.

Volume & Open Interest Development

Examining the volume and open interest provides crucial insights into stock research. This information is key in gauging liquidity and interest levels for IBM's options at certain strike prices. Below, we present a snapshot of the trends in volume and open interest for calls and puts across IBM's significant trades, within a strike price range of $130.0 to $250.0, over the past month.

IBM 30-Day Option Volume & Interest Snapshot

Biggest Options Spotted:

About IBM

IBM looks to be a part of every aspect of an enterprise's IT needs. The company primarily sells software, IT services, consulting, and hardware. IBM operates in 175 countries and employs approximately 350,000 people. The company has a robust roster of 80,000 business partners to service 5,200 clients, which includes 95% of all Fortune 500. While IBM is a B2B company, IBM's outward impact is substantial. For example, IBM manages 90% of all credit card transactions globally and is responsible for 50% of all wireless connections in the world.

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

IBM's Current Market Status

• Trading volume stands at 903,390, with IBM's price up by 0.89%, positioned at $216.71.
• RSI indicators show the stock to be may be overbought.
• Earnings announcement expected in 37 days.

Professional Analyst Ratings for IBM

2 market experts have recently issued ratings for this stock, with a consensus target price of $192.5.

• Maintaining their stance, an analyst from UBS continues to hold a Sell rating for IBM, targeting a price of $145.
• Maintaining their stance, an analyst from Evercore ISI Group continues to hold a Outperform rating for IBM, targeting a price of $240.

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.