Looking at options trading activity among components of the Russell 3000 index, there is noteworthy activity today in Walmart Inc (WMT), where a total volume of 23,318 contracts has been traded thus far today, a contract volume which is representative of approximately 2.3 million underlying shares (given that every 1 contract represents 100 underlying shares). That number works out to 43.2% of WMT's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 5.4 million shares. Particularly high volume was seen for the $144 strike call option expiring February 03, 2023, with 1,337 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 133,700 underlying shares of WMT. Below is a chart showing WMT's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $144 strike highlighted in orange:

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Today's Most Active Call & Put Options of the S&P 500 »

Marathon Petroleum Corp. (MPC) saw options trading volume of 15,260 contracts, representing approximately 1.5 million underlying shares or approximately 42.5% of MPC's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 3.6 million shares. Particularly high volume was seen for the $47.50 strike put option expiring April 21, 2023, with 850 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 85,000 underlying shares of MPC. Below is a chart showing MPC's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $47.50 strike highlighted in orange:

And Northrop Grumman Corp (NOC) options are showing a volume of 6,235 contracts thus far today. That number of contracts represents approximately 623,500 underlying shares, working out to a sizeable 42.1% of NOC's average daily trading volume over the past month, of 1.5 million shares. Especially high volume was seen for the $440 strike put option expiring March 17, 2023, with 529 contracts trading so far today, representing approximately 52,900 underlying shares of NOC. Below is a chart showing NOC's trailing twelve month trading history, with the $440 strike highlighted in orange: