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

The general mood among these heavyweight investors is divided, with 24% leaning bullish and 65% bearish. Among these notable options, 18 are puts, totaling $747,290, and 11 are calls, amounting to $1,199,345.

Expected Price Movements

Taking into account the Volume and Open Interest on these contracts, it appears that whales have been targeting a price range from $66.67 to $110.0 for Walmart over the last 3 months.

Volume & Open Interest Trends

In today’s trading context, the average open interest for options of Walmart stands at 7058.28, with a total volume reaching 22,142.00. 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 $66.67 to $110.0, throughout the last 30 days.

Walmart Option Volume And Open Interest Over Last 30 Days

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 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

• With a trading volume of 4,903,195, the price of WMT is up by 0.17%, reaching $80.89.
• Current RSI values indicate that the stock is may be approaching overbought.
• Next earnings report is scheduled for 49 days from now.

What Analysts Are Saying About Walmart

Over the past month, 5 industry analysts have shared their insights on this stock, proposing an average target price of $92.2.

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* An analyst from Jefferies has decided to maintain their Buy rating on Walmart, which currently sits at a price target of $90.
* Maintaining their stance, an analyst from Baird continues to hold a Outperform rating for Walmart, targeting a price of $90.
* An analyst from Citigroup persists with their Buy rating on Walmart, maintaining a target price of $98.
* An analyst from Wells Fargo persists with their Overweight rating on Walmart, maintaining a target price of $88.
* In a cautious move, an analyst from Melius Research downgraded its rating to Buy, setting a price target of $95.

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.