Market Whales and Their Recent Bets on Mastercard Options

Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bearish stance on Mastercard MA.

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 MA, 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 14 uncommon options trades for Mastercard.

This isn’t normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 35% bullish and 50%, bearish.

Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 4 are puts, for a total amount of $161,337, and 10 are calls, for a total amount of $541,947.

Predicted Price Range

After evaluating the trading volumes and Open Interest, it’s evident that the major market movers are focusing on a price band between $380.0 and $540.0 for Mastercard, spanning the last three months.

Volume & Open Interest Trends

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 Mastercard’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 Mastercard’s whale activity within a strike price range from $380.0 to $540.0 in the last 30 days.

Mastercard 30-Day Option Volume & Interest Snapshot

Options Call Chart

Largest Options Trades Observed:

Symbol	PUT/CALL	Trade Type	Sentiment	Exp. Date	Ask	Bid	Price	Strike Price	Total Trade Price	Open Interest	Volume
MA	CALL	TRADE	BULLISH	11/15/24	$66.7	$64.6	$66.0	$450.00	$151.8K	107	23
MA	CALL	SWEEP	BEARISH	06/20/25	$28.5	$27.75	$27.75	$540.00	$135.9K	492	103
MA	CALL	SWEEP	BULLISH	12/20/24	$10.9	$10.9	$10.9	$530.00	$52.2K	85	123
MA	PUT	SWEEP	BEARISH	12/20/24	$21.2	$20.75	$21.05	$525.00	$50.7K	78	24
MA	PUT	TRADE	BEARISH	12/20/24	$21.2	$20.75	$21.05	$525.00	$48.4K	78	47

About Mastercard

Mastercard is the second-largest payment processor in the world, having processed close to over $9 trillion in volume during 2023. Mastercard operates in over 200 countries and processes transactions in over 150 currencies.

Following our analysis of the options activities associated with Mastercard, we pivot to a closer look at the company’s own performance.

Mastercard’s Current Market Status

With a volume of 693,191, the price of MA is up 0.08% at $513.43.
RSI indicators hint that the underlying stock may be overbought.
Next earnings are expected to be released in 8 days.

Professional Analyst Ratings for Mastercard

A total of 3 professional analysts have given their take on this stock in the last 30 days, setting an average price target of $581.3333333333334.

Unusual Options Activity Detected: Smart Money on the Move

Benzinga Edge’s Unusual Options board spots potential market movers before they happen. See what positions big money is taking on your favorite stocks. Click here for access.
* An analyst from JP Morgan persists with their Overweight rating on Mastercard, maintaining a target price of $593.
* An analyst from Barclays has decided to maintain their Overweight rating on Mastercard, which currently sits at a price target of $576.
* An analyst from Baird has decided to maintain their Outperform rating on Mastercard, which currently sits at a price target of $575.

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 Mastercard options trades with real-time alerts from Benzinga Pro.

Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs