Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bearish stance on Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT).

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 ABT, 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 15 uncommon options trades for Abbott Laboratories.

This isn't normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 40% bullish and 46%, bearish.

Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 6 are puts, for a total amount of $275,511, and 9 are calls, for a total amount of $475,413.

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 $85.0 to $130.0 for Abbott Laboratories over the last 3 months.

Insights into 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 Abbott Laboratories'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 Abbott Laboratories's whale activity within a strike price range from $85.0 to $130.0 in the last 30 days.

Abbott Laboratories 30-Day Option Volume & Interest Snapshot

Biggest Options Spotted:

About Abbott Laboratories

Abbott manufactures and markets cardiovascular and diabetes devices, adult and pediatric nutritional products, diagnostic equipment and testing kits, and branded generic drugs. Products include pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators, neuromodulation devices, coronary stents, catheters, infant formula, nutritional liquids for adults, continuous glucose monitors, and immunoassays and point-of-care diagnostic equipment. Abbott derives approximately 60% of sales outside the United States.

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

Present Market Standing of Abbott Laboratories

• Currently trading with a volume of 5,720,670, the ABT's price is down by -0.67%, now at $105.25.
• RSI readings suggest the stock is currently may be approaching overbought.
• Anticipated earnings release is in 82 days.

Expert Opinions on Abbott Laboratories

A total of 1 professional analysts have given their take on this stock in the last 30 days, setting an average price target of $120.0.

• Maintaining their stance, an analyst from Evercore ISI Group continues to hold a Outperform rating for Abbott Laboratories, targeting a price of $120.

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 Abbott Laboratories with Benzinga Pro for real-time alerts.