To The Moon

$Intel(INTC)$ shares closed at $107.93, down 1.28% on the day. Despite the modest pullback in the stock, activity in the options market suggests growing bullish conviction beneath the surface. Recent trading in Intel (INTC) options has been marked by a series of unusual block transactions, with investors targeting the $110–$150 range through large purchases of out-of-the-money (OTM) call options, bullish call spreads, and sales of far-dated OTM puts. The positioning points to expectations of medium- to long-term upside while simultaneously collecting time-decay premiums, resulting in an overall constructive outlook on the stock.

Options Metrics

Intel’s implied volatility (IV) currently stands at 83.81%, with its IV percentile reaching 95.22%, indicating that the market expects future price swings to be significantly above the stock’s typical levels over the past year. Options premiums are therefore trading near the upper end of their historical range and include a substantial volatility risk premium.

Meanwhile, the call-to-put volume ratio has climbed to 3.12, suggesting call option activity is more than three times that of puts. The imbalance highlights a distinctly bullish tilt in market sentiment.

Notable Block Trades

Recent block transactions reveal a clear strategic pattern. Positioning has been concentrated in September 2026 expiries, led by the purchase of 4,270 contracts of the $110 OTM call, representing approximately $7.20 million in premium outlay. Separately, traders bought 2,000 contracts of the deeply OTM $140 call for roughly $2.08 million, underscoring aggressive directional bets on further upside.

$INTC 20260918 110.0 CALL$

$INTC 20260918 140.0 CALL$

One particularly notable transaction involved a 4,000-lot bull call spread. The strategy consisted of buying the $115 call and selling the $150 call, with a net debit of approximately $3.22 million. The structure allows investors to participate in gains if Intel shares rise into the $115–$150 range while limiting upfront cost and risk.

$TSLA Straddle 260717 400.0C/400.0P$

On the downside, traders also sold March 2027 $97.50 OTM put options in a transaction valued at approximately $3.02 million. Such trades are commonly interpreted as a moderately bullish strategy, reflecting either a willingness to accumulate shares at lower levels or an effort to generate income through premium collection.

$INTC 20270319 97.5 PUT$

Although there were also a handful of transactions involving the sale of near-dated OTM calls, the broader flow remains skewed to the upside. Taken together, the combination of OTM call buying, bull call spread construction, and far-dated put selling suggests institutional investors are positioning for a favorable medium- to long-term trajectory in Intel shares.

Strategy Watch

With implied volatility elevated and options premiums relatively expensive, income-oriented traders may consider selling deeply OTM put options — for example, strikes below $100 — to harvest premium, while remaining mindful of margin requirements and potential assignment risk.

For investors seeking bullish exposure with more defined risk, a bull call spread may offer a more capital-efficient alternative. Structures such as buying the $115 call while selling the $130 or $140 call can reduce upfront premium costs and provide a clearer risk-reward profile compared with outright call purchases.