Noteworthy Thursday Option Activity: AAPL, MSFT, PANW

Looking at options trading activity among components of the S&P 500 index, there is noteworthy activity today in Apple Inc (Symbol: AAPL), where a total volume of 885,381 contracts has been traded thus far today, a contract volume which is representative of approximately 88.5 million underlying shares (given that every 1 contract represents 100 underlying shares). That number works out to 188.8% of AAPL's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 46.9 million shares. Especially high volume was seen for the $295 strike call option expiring May 08, 2026, with 118,477 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 11.8 million underlying shares of AAPL. Below is a chart showing AAPL's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $295 strike highlighted in orange:

Microsoft Corporation (Symbol: MSFT) saw options trading volume of 624,324 contracts, representing approximately 62.4 million underlying shares or approximately 176.4% of MSFT's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 35.4 million shares. Particularly high volume was seen for the $430 strike call option expiring May 08, 2026, with 44,338 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 4.4 million underlying shares of MSFT. Below is a chart showing MSFT's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $430 strike highlighted in orange:

And Palo Alto Networks, Inc (Symbol: PANW) saw options trading volume of 66,259 contracts, representing approximately 6.6 million underlying shares or approximately 95.9% of PANW's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 6.9 million shares. Particularly high volume was seen for the $160 strike put option expiring June 18, 2026, with 6,696 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 669,600 underlying shares of PANW. Below is a chart showing PANW's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $160 strike highlighted in orange:

For the various different available expirations for AAPL options, MSFT options, or PANW options, visit StockOptionsChannel.com.

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