Highlighted Friday Options Trading: BLK, UNH, DE

Published On: January 10, 2025 7:29 pm

Surge in Options Trading Across Key S&P 500 Stocks

Blackrock Inc. Duals with Heavy Put Activity

Looking into the options trading landscape within the S&P 500 index, Blackrock Inc (Symbol: BLK) is making headlines. Today, 4,546 contracts have changed hands, representing about 454,600 shares when factoring in that each contract covers 100 shares. This trading volume accounts for 61.9% of BLK’s average daily activity over the past month, which stands at 734,100 shares. Notably, the $920 strike put option, set to expire on January 17, 2025, has seen 661 contracts traded today, equating to around 66,100 underlying shares. The chart below illustrates BLK’s trading history over the last year, with the $920 strike shown in orange:

Loading chart — 2025 TickerTech.com

UnitedHealth Group Inc. Draws Attention with High Call Volume

UnitedHealth Group Inc (Symbol: UNH) also witnessed a surge in trading, with a total of 35,203 contracts exchanged today. This represents approximately 3.5 million shares, accounting for about 55.3% of UNH’s usual daily trading volume of 6.4 million shares over the previous month. The most active option was the $535 strike call, with 2,579 contracts traded, translating to roughly 257,900 shares. The following chart depicts the trading activity for UNH over the past year, highlighting the $535 strike:

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Deere & Co. Experiences Notable Call Option Activity

Deere & Co. (Symbol: DE) reported options trading volume of 5,941 contracts today, equivalent to around 594,100 shares, which reflects approximately 54.3% of DE’s recent average daily trading volume of 1.1 million shares. The $450 strike call option, expiring on February 21, 2025, saw particularly active trading with 810 contracts, or about 81,000 underlying shares. Below is DE’s one-year trading chart with the $450 strike noted in orange:

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