Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bullish stance on Applied Mat (NASDAQ:AMAT).

And retail traders should know.

We noticed this today when the trades showed up on publicly available options history that we track here at Benzinga.

Whether these are institutions or just wealthy individuals, we don't know. But when something this big happens with AMAT, it often means somebody knows something is about to happen.

So how do we know what these investors just did?

Today, Benzinga's options scanner spotted 25 uncommon options trades for Applied Mat.

This isn't normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 52% bullish and 32%, bearish.

Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 15 are puts, for a total amount of $858,524, and 10 are calls, for a total amount of $421,561.

Projected Price Targets

Based on the trading activity, it appears that the significant investors are aiming for a price territory stretching from $165.0 to $290.0 for Applied Mat over the recent three months.

Volume & Open Interest Trends

Examining the volume and open interest provides crucial insights into stock research. This information is key in gauging liquidity and interest levels for Applied Mat's options at certain strike prices. Below, we present a snapshot of the trends in volume and open interest for calls and puts across Applied Mat's significant trades, within a strike price range of $165.0 to $290.0, over the past month.

Applied Mat Call and Put Volume: 30-Day Overview

Significant Options Trades Detected:

About Applied Mat

Applied Materials is the largest semiconductor wafer fabrication equipment, or WFE, manufacturer in the world. Applied Materials has a broad portfolio spanning nearly every corner of the WFE ecosystem. Specifically, Applied Materials holds a market share leadership position in deposition, which entails the layering of new materials on semiconductor wafers. It is more exposed to general-purpose logic chips made at integrated device manufacturers and foundries. It counts the largest chipmakers in the world as customers, including TSMC, Intel, and Samsung.

Applied Mat's Current Market Status

• Trading volume stands at 2,210,854, with AMAT's price up by 3.18%, positioned at $216.95.
• RSI indicators show the stock to be is currently neutral between overbought and oversold.
• Earnings announcement expected in 24 days.

What The Experts Say On Applied Mat

Over the past month, 2 industry analysts have shared their insights on this stock, proposing an average target price of $282.5.

• An analyst from Stifel persists with their Buy rating on Applied Mat, maintaining a target price of $275.
• Maintaining their stance, an analyst from Cantor Fitzgerald continues to hold a Overweight rating for Applied Mat, targeting a price of $290.

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 Applied Mat options trades with real-time alerts from Benzinga Pro.