Mobileye Global Inc (NASDAQ:MBLY) stock was last seen trading near breakeven at $12.18, earlier surging as high as $14.33 after news that the Israel-based autonomous driving company is acquiring humanoid robot startup Mentee in a cash and stock deal worth about $900 million. The merger is expected to close in the first quarter, marking Mobileye's first venture into what it describes as physical AI.
MBLY has been rebounding off its Dec. 18, record low of $10.04. Shares are already up 17.4% since the start of 2026, and fresh off a third-straight win. Familiar resistance at the 200-day moving average appears to be keeping gains in check, however.
Options bulls are chiming in after the reports, with 44,000 calls exchanged so far today -- 15 times the intraday average volume -- in comparison to 9,046 puts. The January 16, 2026 15-strike call is the most popular, followed by the 14-strike call in the same series, with new positions opening at the weekly 1/9 13-strike call.
Some of today's earlier gains could be attributed to short covering. Though short interest has been unwinding, it still represents 13.5% of the stock's available float. It would take shorts over four days to cover their bets, at MBLY's average pace of trading.
