Intel Options Activity Flags Bullish Momentum as $80 Call Sweep Dominates Flow Near 52-Week High

By TrendSpider Editor

Intel Corporation is drawing attention in the options market Tuesday after an unusual call sweep hit the tape with a premium of $983,665 on an in-the-money $80 strike contract expiring May 29, 2026, dwarfing the session's total unusual premium of $1,070,415. INTC shares are trading at $84.55, down 0

Intel Options Activity Flags Bullish Momentum as $80 Call Sweep Dominates Flow Near 52-Week High

Intel Corporation is drawing attention in the options market Tuesday after an unusual call sweep hit the tape with a premium of $983,665 on an in-the-money $80 strike contract expiring May 29, 2026, dwarfing the session's total unusual premium of $1,070,415. INTC shares are trading at $84.55, down 0.52% on the day, but the stock sits close to its 52-week high of $87.10, a dramatic recovery from the 52-week low of $18.965. The options flow suggests at least one large participant is positioning for continued upside or protecting a significant long position heading into late May.

Key Drivers of the INTC Stock Move

• Main Catalyst: Two unusual options contracts were flagged today totaling $1,070,415 in premium. The dominant trade is a call at the $80 strike expiring May 29, 2026, with a size of 1,130 contracts, representing 24% of open interest, and a premium of $983,665. A secondary put at the $100 strike expiring December 17, 2027 was also flagged, with a size of just 25 contracts but a striking 2,500% of open interest, carrying a premium of $86,750.
• Bull Case: The $80 call is already in the money with INTC at $84.55, and the 1,130-contract size with $983,665 in premium signals conviction that shares can hold above $80 through May 29. The stock trading near its 52-week high of $87.10 reinforces an upward technical trend that options buyers appear to be betting will persist.
• Bear Case: The $100 strike put expiring December 17, 2027 is also in the money relative to the current price and carries an eye-catching 2,500% of open interest, meaning the 25-contract trade dwarfs existing open interest on that strike. While small in size, this deep in-the-money long-dated put could reflect hedging or an outright bearish view on Intel's trajectory over the next 20 months.

The forward setup for INTC is compelling but not without risk. The stock has staged a remarkable recovery from the $18.965 low printed within the past 52 weeks, and proximity to the $87.10 high means any rejection at that level could be a near-term headwind for the May 29 call position. The asymmetry between the two trades is notable: the call is a short-dated, high-conviction bet on near-term price stability or appreciation, while the long-dated put hints that at least one market participant sees meaningful downside risk further out on the horizon. Intel has been navigating a challenging competitive landscape in both the PC processor and data center markets, and any shifts in execution or macro demand could weigh on the name between now and the December 2027 expiration on that put contract.

INTC Unusual Options Activity

Two unusual contracts were flagged in Tuesday's session across Intel's options chain:

• Call, $80 Strike, Expires May 29, 2026: Volume of 1,130 contracts, representing 24% of open interest. This contract is in the money with shares at $84.55. Premium paid: $983,665.
• Put, $100 Strike, Expires December 17, 2027: Volume of 25 contracts, representing 2,500% of open interest, indicating a near-complete absence of prior positioning at this strike. This contract is also in the money relative to current price. Premium paid: $86,750.

Total unusual premium across both contracts came to $1,070,415, with the call side accounting for approximately 91.9% of that total, skewing the flow directionally bullish on a near-term basis.

INTC Seasonality

Late April and May have historically been an active period for semiconductor stocks as the sector digests quarterly earnings and forward guidance, making the May 29 expiration on the call position particularly event-sensitive. Traders with positions expiring in that window will be watching closely for any product or guidance updates that could move the stock toward or away from the $87.10 52-week high before the contract expires.

INTC Relative Performance

INTC is down 0.52% on the session at $84.55, a modest pullback in the context of a stock that has rallied sharply off its 52-week low of $18.965. The proximity to the 52-week high of $87.10 puts Intel in a technically strong position relative to its own recent history, though how it is performing versus semiconductor peers such as AMD, Qualcomm, and Nvidia on the day would be the key comparison for gauging whether today's dip is stock-specific or sector-wide pressure.