This Is What Whales Are Betting On Walmart

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 18 extraordinary options activities for Walmart. This level of activity is out of the ordinary.

The general mood among these heavyweight investors is divided, with 38% leaning bullish and 61% bearish. Among these notable options, 9 are puts, totaling $430,843, and 9 are calls, amounting to $414,453.

Projected Price Targets

After evaluating the trading volumes and Open Interest, it's evident that the major market movers are focusing on a price band between $63.33 and $105.0 for Walmart, spanning the last three months.

Volume & Open Interest Trends

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 $63.33 to $105.0 in the last 30 days.

Walmart 30-Day Option Volume & Interest Snapshot

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 4,600 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 company's top line. Internationally, Walmart generated $115 billion in sales. The retailer 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.

Walmart's Current Market Status

• Trading volume stands at 6,183,996, with WMT's price up by 0.33%, positioned at $80.59.
• RSI indicators show the stock to be is currently neutral between overbought and oversold.
• Earnings announcement expected in 56 days.

What Analysts Are Saying About Walmart

A total of 4 professional analysts have given their take on this stock in the last 30 days, setting an average price target of $90.5.

Unusual Options Activity Detected: Smart Money on the Move

Benzinga Edge's Unusual Options board spots potential market movers before they happen. See what positions big money is taking on your favorite stocks. Click here for access. * An analyst from Wells Fargo has decided to maintain their Overweight rating on Walmart, which currently sits at a price target of $88. * Showing optimism, an analyst from Truist Securities upgrades its rating to Buy with a revised price target of $89. * An analyst from Melius Research has revised its rating downward to Buy, adjusting the price target to $95. * Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from Jefferies keeps a Buy rating on Walmart with a target price of $90.

Options are a riskier asset compared to just trading the stock, but they have higher profit potential. Serious options traders manage this risk by educating themselves daily, scaling in and out of trades, following more than one indicator, and following the markets closely.

If you want to stay updated on the latest options trades for Walmart, Benzinga Pro gives you real-time options trades alerts.