Smart Money Is Betting Big In WMT Options

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 27 uncommon options trades for Walmart.

This isn't normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 44% bullish and 55%, bearish.

Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 14 are puts, for a total amount of $1,288,279, and 13 are calls, for a total amount of $600,448.

Projected Price Targets

Based on the trading activity, it appears that the significant investors are aiming for a price territory stretching from $40.0 to $85.0 for Walmart over the recent three months.

Analyzing Volume & Open Interest

In today's trading context, the average open interest for options of Walmart stands at 2761.2, with a total volume reaching 27,593.00. The accompanying chart delineates the progression of both call and put option volume and open interest for high-value trades in Walmart, situated within the strike price corridor from $40.0 to $85.0, throughout 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.

Current Position of Walmart

• With a volume of 21,262,562, the price of WMT is up 0.91% at $77.34.
• RSI indicators hint that the underlying stock may be overbought.
• Next earnings are expected to be released in 66 days.

Professional Analyst Ratings for 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 $80.2.

• Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from BMO Capital keeps a Outperform rating on Walmart with a target price of $80.
• Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from UBS keeps a Buy rating on Walmart with a target price of $81.
• An analyst from Guggenheim has decided to maintain their Buy rating on Walmart, which currently sits at a price target of $81.
• Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from Barclays keeps a Overweight rating on Walmart with a target price of $78.
• An analyst from Wells Fargo persists with their Overweight rating on Walmart, maintaining a target price of $81.

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.