Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bearish stance on $ASML Holding (ASML.US)$

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 ASML, 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 31 uncommon options trades for ASML Holding.

This isn't normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 35% bullish and 54%, bearish.

Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 21 are puts, for a total amount of $1,691,195, and 10 are calls, for a total amount of $480,586.

Projected Price Targets

Based on the trading activity, it appears that the significant investors are aiming for a price territory stretching from $620.0 to $1100.0 for ASML Holding over the recent three months.

Volume & Open Interest Development

In today's trading context, the average open interest for options of ASML Holding stands at 114.78, with a total volume reaching 819.00. The accompanying chart delineates the progression of both call and put option volume and open interest for high-value trades in ASML Holding, situated within the strike price corridor from $620.0 to $1100.0, throughout the last 30 days.

ASML Holding Option Activity Analysis: Last 30 Days

Noteworthy Options Activity:

About ASML Holding

ASML is the leader in photolithography systems used in the manufacturing of semiconductors. Photolithography is the process in which a light source is used to expose circuit patterns from a photo mask onto a semiconductor wafer. The latest technological advances in this segment allow chipmakers to continually increase the number of transistors on the same area of silicon, with lithography historically representing a high portion of the cost of making cutting-edge chips. ASML outsources the manufacturing of most of its parts, acting like an assembler. ASML's main clients are TSMC, Samsung, and Intel.

Where Is ASML Holding Standing Right Now?

• With a trading volume of 639,057, the price of ASML is down by -3.25%, reaching $880.25.

• Current RSI values indicate that the stock is may be approaching oversold.

• Next earnings report is scheduled for 78 days from now.

Expert Opinions on ASML Holding

A total of 2 professional analysts have given their take on this stock in the last 30 days, setting an average price target of $1101.0.

• Maintaining their stance, an analyst from Wells Fargo continues to hold a Overweight rating for ASML Holding, targeting a price of $1150.

• Maintaining their stance, an analyst from Bernstein continues to hold a Outperform rating for ASML Holding, targeting a price of $1052.

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.