Deep-pocketed investors have adopted a bullish approach towards Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ:PANW), 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 PANW usually suggests something big is about to happen.

We gleaned this information from our observations today when Benzinga's options scanner highlighted 18 extraordinary options activities for Palo Alto Networks. This level of activity is out of the ordinary.

The general mood among these heavyweight investors is divided, with 61% leaning bullish and 27% bearish. Among these notable options, 3 are puts, totaling $119,858, and 15 are calls, amounting to $787,310.

Expected Price Movements

Analyzing the Volume and Open Interest in these contracts, it seems that the big players have been eyeing a price window from $220.0 to $335.0 for Palo Alto Networks 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 Palo Alto Networks'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 Palo Alto Networks's whale activity within a strike price range from $220.0 to $335.0 in the last 30 days.

Palo Alto Networks Option Activity Analysis: Last 30 Days

Noteworthy Options Activity:

About Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks is a platform-based cybersecurity vendor with product offerings covering network security, cloud security, and security operations. The California-based firm has more than 85,000 customers across the world, including more than three fourths of the Global 2000.

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

Current Position of Palo Alto Networks

• With a trading volume of 566,767, the price of PANW is up by 0.32%, reaching $337.56.
• Current RSI values indicate that the stock is may be approaching overbought.
• Next earnings report is scheduled for 32 days from now.

Professional Analyst Ratings for Palo Alto Networks

A total of 3 professional analysts have given their take on this stock in the last 30 days, setting an average price target of $363.3333333333333.

• An analyst from Baird persists with their Outperform rating on Palo Alto Networks, maintaining a target price of $360.
• An analyst from DA Davidson downgraded its action to Buy with a price target of $380.
• In a cautious move, an analyst from Cantor Fitzgerald downgraded its rating to Overweight, setting a price target of $350.

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.