Walmart Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:WMT)

Key Points

• Walmart Inc. experienced a significant surge in options trading, with 147,969 call options acquired, marking a 38% increase over its average volume.
• Recent analyst ratings reflect confidence in Walmart, with multiple upgrades, and an average target price of $106.67, indicating a predominantly positive outlook.
• The company's stock price rose by 4.0% to $103.27, with over 23 million shares traded, surpassing its average trading volume.

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders acquired 147,969 call options on the company. Thisrepresentsanincreaseofapproximately38% compared to the average volume of 107,418 call options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Walmart from $112.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $106.67.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.30, for a total transaction of $216,260.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 626,118 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $61,547,399.40. This represents a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.14, for a total transaction of $380,560.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 1,056,455 shares in the company, valued at $100,511,128.70. This trade represents a 0.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 146,112 shares of company stock valued at $14,080,073. 45.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Full Sail Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Full Sail Capital LLC now owns 8,702 shares of the retailer's stock worth $786,000 after buying an additional 541 shares during the last quarter. Leslie Global Wealth LLC raised its position in Walmart by 22.0% in the 4th quarter. Leslie Global Wealth LLC now owns 3,154 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $285,000 after purchasing an additional 568 shares during the last quarter. Monument Capital Management raised its position in Walmart by 94.2% in the 1st quarter. Monument Capital Management now owns 55,004 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,829,000 after purchasing an additional 26,685 shares during the last quarter. Milestone Asset Management LLC raised its position in Walmart by 156.7% in the 1st quarter. Milestone Asset Management LLC now owns 54,659 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,799,000 after purchasing an additional 33,370 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rossby Financial LCC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $1,404,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Up 4.0%

NYSE WMT traded up $3.96 on Wednesday, hitting $103.27. 23,730,095 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 19,182,068. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Walmart has a fifty-two week low of $66.67 and a fifty-two week high of $105.30. The company has a market cap of $824.14 billion, a PE ratio of 44.13, a PEG ratio of 4.79 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $96.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $95.16.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a net margin of 2.75% and a return on equity of 21.76%. The company had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $164.53 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.60 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, other units, and eCommerce worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club. It operates supercenters, supermarkets, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs, cash and carry stores, and discount stores under Walmart and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands; membership-only warehouse clubs; ecommerce websites, such as walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, PhonePe and other sites; and mobile commerce applications.

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