INTC Stock: Unusual Options Activity Flags $1.76 Million in Contracts as Intel Trades Near 52-Week Highs
By TrendSpider Editor
Intel Corporation is drawing attention in the options market, with four unusual contracts totaling $1,760,600 in combined premium activity detected on Monday, April 6, 2026. INTC shares are currently trading at $49.905, down 0.94% on the session, yet remain near the upper end of their 52-week range
INTC Stock: Unusual Options Activity Flags $1.76 Million in Contracts as Intel Trades Near 52-Week Highs
Intel Corporation is drawing attention in the options market, with four unusual contracts totaling $1,760,600 in combined premium activity detected on Monday, April 6, 2026. INTC shares are currently trading at $49.905, down 0.94% on the session, yet remain near the upper end of their 52-week range of $17.665 to $54.595. The positioning across multiple strikes and expirations suggests traders are making calculated directional bets on Intel well beyond its current price level.
Key Drivers of the INTC Stock Move
- Main Catalyst: Four unusual options contracts totaling $1,760,600 in premium have been flagged, spanning strikes from $56 to $80 and expirations ranging from April 2026 through March 2027. The largest single contract is a CALL at $80 expiring March 19, 2027, carrying $714,000 in premium on a size of 1,400 contracts.
- Bull Case: Three of the four flagged contracts are calls, collectively representing the dominant directional lean. The $56 CALL expiring April 24, 2026 is particularly notable, with open interest utilization at 845% on a size of 2,400 contracts, signaling aggressive near-term conviction that INTC could push beyond $56 within roughly three weeks.
- Bear Case: A single PUT at $75 expiring April 17, 2026 is trading in the money relative to that strike, carries $250,000 in premium, and registered an open interest utilization of 1,000% on just 100 contracts. While small in size, the extreme OI ratio and the fact that it is ITM relative to its strike suggests at least some traders are positioning for notable downside or hedging existing exposure at elevated levels.
The forward setup for Intel is complicated by the stock's position in a broader market under pressure. INTC is sitting about 8.6% below its 52-week high of $54.595 after a multi-month recovery from a low of $17.665, meaning the stock has more than doubled off its lows. The cluster of call strikes at $56, $70, and $80 implies that options traders see a path to further upside, but those targets require a breakout above levels not seen in over a year. The tight April 24 expiration on the $56 call makes that particular contract a high-conviction short-term trade that will be resolved quickly.
INTC Unusual Options Activity
- Contract 1: CALL | Strike: $70 | Expiry: November 20, 2026 | Size: 1,000 | Open Interest Utilization: 7% | Status: OTM | Premium: $463,000
- Contract 2: CALL | Strike: $56 | Expiry: April 24, 2026 | Size: 2,400 | Open Interest Utilization: 845% | Status: OTM | Premium: $333,600
- Contract 3: PUT | Strike: $75 | Expiry: April 17, 2026 | Size: 100 | Open Interest Utilization: 1,000% | Status: ITM | Premium: $250,000
- Contract 4: CALL | Strike: $80 | Expiry: March 19, 2027 | Size: 1,400 | Open Interest Utilization: 34% | Status: OTM | Premium: $714,000
INTC Seasonality
April has historically been an active period for semiconductor stocks as first-quarter earnings season approaches, and with Intel typically reporting results in late April, the concentration of short-dated contracts expiring April 17 and April 24 aligns with traders positioning ahead of a potential earnings catalyst. The near-term expirations on two of the four contracts suggest event-driven rather than purely macro-driven flow.
INTC Relative Performance
INTC's 0.94% decline on Monday April 6, 2026 comes in the context of a stock that has staged a substantial recovery from its 52-week low of $17.665. At $49.905, Intel is trading more than 182% above that trough, though it remains about 8.6% below its 52-week high of $54.595. Whether Intel can close that gap and push into the territory implied by the bullish options contracts will depend on both company-specific execution and broader semiconductor sector sentiment.