This Is What Whales Are Betting On Shell - Shell (NYSE:SHEL)

Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bearish stance on Shell SHEL.

And retail traders should know.

We noticed this today when the trades showed up on publicly available options history that we track here at Benzinga.

Whether these are institutions or just wealthy individuals, we don't know. But when something this big happens with SHEL, it often means somebody knows something is about to happen.

So how do we know what these investors just did?

Today, Benzinga's options scanner spotted 13 uncommon options trades for Shell.

This isn't normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 46% bullish and 53%, bearish.

Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 4 are puts, for a total amount of $609,785, and 9 are calls, for a total amount of $566,725.

What's The Price Target?

Analyzing the Volume and Open Interest in these contracts, it seems that the big players have been eyeing a price window from $72.5 to $77.5 for Shell during the past quarter.

Analyzing Volume & Open Interest

Examining the volume and open interest provides crucial insights into stock research. This information is key in gauging liquidity and interest levels for Shell's options at certain strike prices. Below, we present a snapshot of the trends in volume and open interest for calls and puts across Shell's significant trades, within a strike price range of $72.5 to $77.5, over the past month.

Shell 30-Day Option Volume & Interest Snapshot

Options Call Chart

Noteworthy Options Activity:

Symbol	PUT/CALL	Trade Type	Sentiment	Exp. Date	Ask	Bid	Price	Strike Price	Total Trade Price	Open Interest	Volume
SHEL	PUT	SWEEP	BULLISH	10/17/25	$5.1	$5.0	$5.0	$75.00	$322.0K	19	2
SHEL	PUT	SWEEP	BEARISH	10/17/25	$5.0	$4.9	$5.0	$75.00	$178.0K	19	1.0K
SHEL	CALL	SWEEP	BEARISH	03/28/25	$0.8	$0.65	$0.7	$73.00	$140.0K	9.0K	3.0K
SHEL	CALL	SWEEP	BULLISH	06/20/25	$2.95	$2.85	$2.9	$72.50	$96.2K	8.4K	338
SHEL	CALL	TRADE	BULLISH	05/16/25	$2.4	$2.3	$2.4	$72.50	$80.4K	1.1K	353

About Shell

Shell is an integrated oil and gas company that explores for, produces, and refines oil around the world. In 2023, it produced 1.5 million barrels of liquids and 7.3 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day. At end-2023, reserves stood at 9.6 billion barrels of oil equivalent, 49% of which, consisted of liquids. Its production and reserves are in Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa, and North and South America. The company operates refineries with capacity of 1.6 mmb/d located in the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Europe and sells about 12 million tons per year of chemicals. Its largest chemical plants, often integrated with its local refineries, are in Central Europe, China, Singapore, and North America.

In light of the recent options history for Shell, it's now appropriate to focus on the company itself. We aim to explore its current performance.

Present Market Standing of Shell

Trading volume stands at 3,131,551, with SHEL's price up by 1.61%, positioned at $72.43.
RSI indicators show the stock to be may be overbought.
Earnings announcement expected in 38 days.

What Analysts Are Saying About Shell

1 market experts have recently issued ratings for this stock, with a consensus target price of $82.0.

Unusual Options Activity Detected: Smart Money on the Move

Benzinga Edge's Unusual Options board spots potential market movers before they happen. See what positions big money is taking on your favorite stocks. Click here for access. * Maintaining their stance, an analyst from TD Securities continues to hold a Buy rating for Shell, targeting a price of $82.

Trading options involves greater risks but also offers the potential for higher profits. Savvy traders mitigate these risks through ongoing education, strategic trade adjustments, utilizing various indicators, and staying attuned to market dynamics. Keep up with the latest options trades for Shell with Benzinga Pro for real-time alerts.