Broadcom Unusual Options Alert: A Deep ITM Put and Dual ATM Call Sweeps Signal Mixed Conviction
By TrendSpider Editor
Broadcom Inc. (AVGO) is drawing attention in the options market today, with three unusual contracts generating a combined premium of $1,162,317.80 as shares trade at $338.65, down 1.65% on the session. The largest single contract is a deep in-the-money put at the $740 strike expiring January 21, 202
Broadcom Unusual Options Alert: A Deep ITM Put and Dual ATM Call Sweeps Signal Mixed Conviction
Broadcom Inc. (AVGO) is drawing attention in the options market today, with three unusual contracts generating a combined premium of $1,162,317.80 as shares trade at $338.65, down 1.65% on the session. The largest single contract is a deep in-the-money put at the $740 strike expiring January 21, 2028, carrying an $806,580 premium that dwarfs the day's other activity. With AVGO currently sitting well below its 52-week high of $495 and closer to its 52-week low of $289.96, the options flow reflects a market wrestling with directional conviction on the stock.
Key Drivers of the AVGO Stock Move
- Main Catalyst: Three unusual options contracts hit the tape today with a total premium of $1,162,317.80. The dominant trade is a single put contract at the $740 strike expiring January 21, 2028, with a size of just 20 contracts but an open interest ratio of 1,000% and a premium of $806,580. Two ATM call contracts at the $337.5 strike expiring today, October 16, 2026, also appeared, with sizes of 1,017 and 500 contracts and premiums of $247,537.80 and $108,200, respectively.
- Bull Case: The two same-day ATM call contracts at $337.5 combined for 1,517 contracts and over $355,700 in premium, suggesting at least some traders were positioning for a short-term bounce or hedging short positions into today's close. The $337.5 strike being ATM relative to the current price of $338.65 indicates these were active, tactical trades near current market levels.
- Bear Case: The $806,580 deep ITM put at $740 with a January 2028 expiration and an open interest ratio of 1,000% is the most notable print of the session. A $740 strike against a stock trading at $338.65 represents a deeply in-the-money position, suggesting a long-dated, large-scale bearish or hedging posture from a sophisticated market participant with a multi-year time horizon.
The forward setup for AVGO is complicated by the contrast between today's short-dated call activity and the long-dated put dominance. AVGO is currently trading roughly 31% below its 52-week high of $495 and only modestly above its 52-week low of $289.96, leaving the stock in a compressed range that options traders appear to be approaching from multiple angles. The simultaneous presence of same-day expiration calls and a 15-month-out deep ITM put suggests these may represent different types of participants, one tactical and one strategic, rather than a unified directional thesis. Traders should watch whether today's ATM call volume reflects genuine bullish demand or end-of-day hedging activity before drawing conclusions about near-term momentum.
AVGO Unusual Options Activity
- Contract 1: PUT | Strike: $740 | Expiry: January 21, 2028 | Size: 20 | Open Interest Ratio: 1,000% | Status: ITM | Premium: $806,580
- Contract 2: CALL | Strike: $337.5 | Expiry: October 16, 2026 | Size: 1,017 | Open Interest Ratio: 297% | Status: ATM | Premium: $247,537.80
- Contract 3: CALL | Strike: $337.5 | Expiry: October 16, 2026 | Size: 500 | Open Interest Ratio: 146% | Status: ATM | Premium: $108,200
All three contracts registered open interest ratios well above 100%, confirming genuine unusual activity relative to existing positioning. The put contract's 1,000% OI ratio is the standout metric, indicating that today's volume on that strike was ten times the existing open interest, a sign of a fresh, deliberate position rather than a routine roll or close.
AVGO Seasonality
Mid-October has historically been a transitional period for semiconductor names as the market digests third-quarter earnings results and begins positioning around fourth-quarter demand signals, particularly in AI infrastructure and data center spending cycles that are central to Broadcom's recent growth narrative. Long-dated options activity in October can also reflect year-end portfolio hedging, which may partially explain the January 2028 put placement.
AVGO Relative Performance
AVGO's 1.65% decline today places it under modest pressure, and with the stock currently at $338.65, it sits approximately 31.6% below its 52-week high of $495 and only about 16.8% above its 52-week low of $289.96. This positioning in the lower half of its annual range suggests AVGO has underperformed relative to its peak valuation over the past year, a context that gives the long-dated bearish options flow additional weight for investors monitoring the stock's recovery trajectory.
More on AVGO
- Broadcom Put Activity Surges With $1.7M in Bearish Contracts as AVGO Climbs 2.59%
- Broadcom Sees $1.6 Million Bullish Call Bet as AVGO Trades Near 52-Week Lows
- Broadcom Sees $3.5 Million in Bearish Put Activity as Stock Hovers Near 52-Week Lows
- Broadcom Crushes Q3 2026 Earnings With 96% Profit Surge as Revenue Tops $29.5 Billion
- Broadcom Crushes Q3 2026 Earnings Estimates, But Shares Slip 2% in After-Hours Trading
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