Unpacking the Latest Options Trading Trends in Walmart

Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bearish stance on Walmart WMT.

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 WMT, 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 Walmart.

This isn't normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 38% bullish and 61%, bearish.

Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 6 are puts, for a total amount of $629,629, and 7 are calls, for a total amount of $469,660.

Projected Price Targets

Based on the trading activity, it appears that the significant investors are aiming for a price territory stretching from $50.0 to $86.67 for Walmart over the recent three months.

Insights into Volume & Open Interest

Assessing the volume and open interest is a strategic step in options trading. These metrics shed light on the liquidity and investor interest in Walmart's options at specified strike prices. The forthcoming data visualizes the fluctuation in volume and open interest for both calls and puts, linked to Walmart's substantial trades, within a strike price spectrum from $50.0 to $86.67 over the preceding 30 days.

Walmart Option Volume And Open Interest Over Last 30 Days

Noteworthy Options Activity:

About Walmart

Walmart serves as the preeminent retailer in the United States, with its strategy predicated on superior operating efficiency and offering the lowest priced goods to consumers to drive robust store traffic and product turnover. Walmart augmented its low-price business strategy by offering a convenient one-stop shopping destination with the opening of its first supercenter in 1988.Today, Walmart operates over 4,700 stores in the United States (5,300 including Sam's Club) and over 10,000 stores globally. Walmart generated over $420 billion in domestic namesake sales last year, with Sam's Club contributing another $84 billion to the firm's top line. Internationally, Walmart generated $100 billion in sales. The company serves around 240 million customers globally each week.

Following our analysis of the options activities associated with Walmart, we pivot to a closer look at the company's own performance.

Where Is Walmart Standing Right Now?

• Currently trading with a volume of 9,319,809, the WMT's price is up by 0.03%, now at $58.63.
• RSI readings suggest the stock is currently may be approaching overbought.
• Anticipated earnings release is in 76 days.

What The Experts Say On Walmart

5 market experts have recently issued ratings for this stock, with a consensus target price of $137.2.

• Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from Guggenheim keeps a Buy rating on Walmart with a target price of $200.
• An analyst from Truist Securities persists with their Hold rating on Walmart, maintaining a target price of $179.
• Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from Oppenheimer keeps a Outperform rating on Walmart with a target price of $185.
• Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from Barclays keeps a Overweight rating on Walmart with a target price of $60.
• An analyst from RBC Capital persists with their Outperform rating on Walmart, maintaining a target price of $62.

Options trading presents higher risks and potential rewards. Astute traders manage these risks by continually educating themselves, adapting their strategies, monitoring multiple indicators, and keeping a close eye on market movements. Stay informed about the latest Walmart options trades with real-time alerts from Benzinga Pro.