TXN Stock: Unusual Call Activity Targets $230 and $240 as Texas Instruments Slips 1.15%
By TrendSpider Editor
Texas Instruments is drawing notable options attention today, with three unusual call contracts totaling over $1 million in combined premium hitting the tape even as shares dip 1.15% to $216.35. All three contracts are out of the money, suggesting traders are positioning for a meaningful move higher
TXN Stock: Unusual Call Activity Targets $230 and $240 as Texas Instruments Slips 1.15%
Texas Instruments is drawing notable options attention today, with three unusual call contracts totaling over $1 million in combined premium hitting the tape even as shares dip 1.15% to $216.35. All three contracts are out of the money, suggesting traders are positioning for a meaningful move higher in the weeks ahead. With TXN currently trading well above its 52-week low of $142.56 but still below its 52-week high of $231.32, the stock sits near the upper end of its annual range, making the timing of this bullish options activity particularly noteworthy.
Key Drivers of the TXN Stock Move
- Main Catalyst: Three unusual call contracts were flagged today across two strike levels, the $240 strike expiring May 15, 2026 with a size of 1,092 contracts and 48% open interest, and two separate $230 strike contracts expiring May 15, 2026 each with a size of 1,000 contracts and 18% open interest, totaling $1,015,014.80 in combined premium.
- Bull Case: All three contracts are calls, signaling a directional bet to the upside. The $230 strike sits just above the current price of $216.35 and within striking distance of the 52-week high of $231.32, while the total premium of over $1 million reflects a high-conviction wager on near-term upside before the May 15 expiration.
- Bear Case: All three contracts are currently out of the money, meaning TXN would need to rally meaningfully from $216.35 just to reach breakeven on any of these positions. The stock is already down 1.15% on the session today, and with the May 15 expiration just 30 days away, time decay will work against these positions if TXN fails to reclaim momentum quickly.
The forward setup for Texas Instruments is framed by a stock that is trading within roughly 7% of its 52-week high heading into what is historically one of the more consequential stretches of the year for semiconductor names. The clustering of call activity at the $230 and $240 strikes, both expiring on May 15, 2026, suggests options traders may be anticipating a near-term catalyst such as an earnings report or sector-level re-rating to drive shares through resistance. The concentration of premium at the $230 strike across two separate contracts, with a combined $800,000 in premium, points to layered positioning rather than a single opportunistic trade, lending additional weight to the bullish thesis embedded in today's flow.
TXN Unusual Options Activity
- Call | Strike: $240 | Expiry: May 15, 2026 | Volume: 1,092 | Open Interest: 48% | Out of the Money
- Call | Strike: $230 | Expiry: May 15, 2026 | Volume: 1,000 | Open Interest: 18% | Out of the Money
- Call | Strike: $230 | Expiry: May 15, 2026 | Volume: 1,000 | Open Interest: 18% | Out of the Money
All three contracts are calls expiring on the same date, May 15, 2026, with zero put contracts flagged in today's unusual activity. The total premium across all three contracts came to $1,015,014.80, with activity concentrated entirely on the call side, reflecting a purely directional bullish posture from whoever is behind today's flow.
TXN Seasonality
Mid-April marks the beginning of earnings season for major semiconductor companies, a period that historically brings elevated volatility and heightened options activity in names like Texas Instruments. The May 15 expiration date targeted by all three contracts aligns closely with the window in which TXN would typically report first-quarter results, making the timing of this call buying consistent with an event-driven strategy.
TXN Relative Performance
Texas Instruments is trading at $216.35 today, down 1.15% on the session, but remains significantly elevated relative to its 52-week low of $142.56, representing a gain of more than 51% from that trough. The stock is trading approximately 6.5% below its 52-week high of $231.32, placing it near the top of its annual range even as broader semiconductor sentiment remains subject to macro and trade-related crosscurrents in April 2026.