Behind the Scenes of Walmart's Latest Options Trends

Deep-pocketed investors have adopted a bearish approach towards Walmart WMT, and it's something market players shouldn't ignore. Our tracking of public options records at Benzinga unveiled this significant move today. The identity of these investors remains unknown, but such a substantial move in WMT usually suggests something big is about to happen.

We gleaned this information from our observations today when Benzinga's options scanner highlighted 14 extraordinary options activities for Walmart. This level of activity is out of the ordinary.

The general mood among these heavyweight investors is divided, with 35% leaning bullish and 64% bearish. Among these notable options, 2 are puts, totaling $76,020, and 12 are calls, amounting to $763,234.

What's The Price Target?

Based on the trading activity, it appears that the significant investors are aiming for a price territory stretching from $40.0 to $60.0 for Walmart over the recent three months.

Analyzing Volume & Open Interest

Looking at the volume and open interest is a powerful move while trading options. This data can help you track the liquidity and interest for Walmart's options for a given strike price. Below, we can observe the evolution of the volume and open interest of calls and puts, respectively, for all of Walmart's whale trades within a strike price range from $40.0 to $60.0 in the last 30 days.

Walmart Call and Put Volume: 30-Day Overview

Biggest Options Spotted:

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 4,600 stores in the United States (5,200 including Sam's Club) and over 10,000 stores globally. Walmart generated over $440 billion in domestic namesake sales in fiscal 2024, with Sam's Club contributing another $86 billion to the firm's top line. Internationally, Walmart generated $115 billion in sales. The company serves around 240 million customers globally each week.

After a thorough review of the options trading surrounding Walmart, we move to examine the company in more detail. This includes an assessment of its current market status and performance.

Present Market Standing of Walmart

• With a volume of 4,397,826, the price of WMT is up 0.1% at $60.1.
• RSI indicators hint that the underlying stock may be overbought.
• Next earnings are expected to be released in 71 days.

What The Experts Say On Walmart

A total of 5 professional analysts have given their take on this stock in the last 30 days, setting an average price target of $140.334.

• An analyst from Truist Securities has decided to maintain their Hold rating on Walmart, which currently sits at a price target of $179.
• Maintaining their stance, an analyst from Morgan Stanley continues to hold a Overweight rating for Walmart, targeting a price of $66.
• Maintaining their stance, an analyst from RBC Capital continues to hold a Outperform rating for Walmart, targeting a price of $189.
• An analyst from Guggenheim has decided to maintain their Buy rating on Walmart, which currently sits at a price target of $200.
• Maintaining their stance, an analyst from Morgan Stanley continues to hold a Overweight rating for Walmart, targeting a price of $67.

Trading options involves greater risks but also offers the potential for higher profits. Savvy traders mitigate these risks through ongoing education, strategic trade adjustments, utilizing various indicators, and staying attuned to market dynamics. Keep up with the latest options trades for Walmart with Benzinga Pro for real-time alerts.