Texas Instruments Hit With $3M Bearish Put Bet as Stock Trades Near Mid-Range

By TrendSpider Editor

A single unusual options contract worth $3,069,500 in premium has landed on Texas Instruments Incorporated, flagging a notable bearish position as TXN trades at $279.70, up 2.29% today. The contract is a deep in-the-money put with a $330 strike, suggesting a trader is positioning for meaningful down

Texas Instruments Hit With $3M Bearish Put Bet as Stock Trades Near Mid-Range

A single unusual options contract worth $3,069,500 in premium has landed on Texas Instruments Incorporated, flagging a notable bearish position as TXN trades at $279.70, up 2.29% today. The contract is a deep in-the-money put with a $330 strike, suggesting a trader is positioning for meaningful downside well beyond the current price. With TXN sitting roughly in the middle of its 52-week range of $152.76 to $334.03, the conviction behind this trade stands out.

Key Drivers of the TXN Stock Move

• Main Catalyst: One unusual options contract was flagged today: a put at the $330 strike expiring January 21, 2028, carrying $3,069,500 in total premium and an open interest spike of 2,917% above normal levels, with a size of 350 contracts. The contract is currently in the money relative to the $330 strike.
• Bull Case: TXN shares are posting a solid session gain of 2.29%, reaching $279.70, and remain well above the 52-week low of $152.76, reflecting underlying demand for the stock on the equity side even as options traders hedge or speculate to the downside.
• Bear Case: The $330 strike is well above the current price of $279.70, meaning this put is deeply in the money and the buyer profits if TXN continues to trade below that level. The open interest explosion of 2,917% signals this is not routine hedging activity, and the long January 2028 expiry gives the bet over 17 months to play out, implying a sustained bearish thesis rather than a short-term tactical trade.

The forward setup for TXN carries a degree of uncertainty reflected in this options flow. The January 2028 expiry is a long-dated horizon, meaning whoever placed this trade is willing to sit through near-term noise to express a view that TXN will remain pressured below $330 well into next year. With the stock currently sitting at $279.70 and the 52-week high at $334.03, the gap between current price and the strike is meaningful, and the size of the premium commitment suggests institutional-level conviction. Traders should watch whether additional bearish flow follows in the coming sessions, which could confirm that this is the opening leg of a larger position rather than a one-off hedge.

TXN Unusual Options Activity

One contract was flagged as unusual for TXN on Friday, August 14, 2026:

• Type: Put | Strike: $330 | Expiry: January 21, 2028 | Volume (Size): 350 | Open Interest Change: 2,917% above normal | Status: In the Money

No call-side unusual activity was recorded today, making this a purely bearish options signal for the session. The total unusual premium flagged on TXN is $3,069,500, all concentrated in this single put contract.

TXN Seasonality

Mid-August historically marks a quieter stretch for semiconductor names ahead of the fall product cycle ramp, though long-dated options placed during low-volatility summer windows can reflect strategic positioning ahead of anticipated macro or sector-level catalysts in the fourth quarter and beyond.

TXN Relative Performance

TXN's 2.29% gain on Friday outpaces a typical quiet summer session and puts the stock at $279.70, well above its 52-week low of $152.76 but still roughly $54 below the 52-week high of $334.03. The stock's position in the middle of its annual range, combined with a single deep-in-the-money bearish options bet of this size, suggests a divergence between short-term equity momentum and longer-term institutional concern about where TXN is headed over the next 17 months.