Huge trade hits surging Snap shares

CNBC | October 12, 2026 at 06:39 PM UTC
Bullish 81% Confidence Unanimous Agreement
Read Original Article

Key Points

  • Of the $5.5 million in premium traded, $5 million was tied to call options, with 9 of the top 10 trades by volume being calls
  • The most popular trade was the December 18 call at an 8-strike price, which traded 26,000 times and requires a 30% rally to be profitable
  • Net trade sentiment and directional bias were positive, with approximately 64,000 call contracts initiated by buyers compared to under 7,000 puts

AI Summary

Summary: Huge Trade Hits Surging Snap Shares

Key Performance Metrics:

Snap Inc. (SNAP) shares have surged nearly 20% in the current month, attracting significant options trading activity that suggests continued bullish sentiment into year-end.

Trading Activity:

On Monday, almost 140,000 options contracts traded on Snap, with heavily skewed bullish positioning:

  • Approximately 64,000 call options purchased by buyers
  • Under 7,000 put options bought
  • Over 34,000 calls sold and 12,000 puts sold
  • Net trading sentiment and directional bias were positive

Major Trade Details:

The most popular contract was the December 18 expiry, $8-strike call option, which traded 26,000 times at approximately $0.37 per contract. This position requires Snap to rally 30% before expiration to become profitable, which would push the stock to its highest level since February 2026.

Premium Flow:

Of the $5.5 million in total premium exchanged, $5 million was allocated to call options. Nine of the top 10 trades by volume were calls, according to SpotGamma data.

Company Background:

Snap owns the photo-sharing and messaging application Snapchat and also produces augmented-reality "Specs" glasses.

Market Implications:

The heavy options activity and bullish positioning suggest institutional and retail traders are anticipating a significant upward move in Snap shares through year-end. The concentration of call buying indicates strong conviction that the stock's recent momentum will continue, potentially driven by improved business fundamentals or market conditions favoring growth technology stocks.

Model Analysis Breakdown

Model Sentiment Confidence
GPT-5-mini Bullish 80%
Claude 4.5 Haiku Bullish 75%
Gemini 2.5 Flash Bullish 90%
Consensus Bullish 81%