Walmart Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:WMT)

Key Points

• Walmart experienced a significant surge in options trading, with investors purchasing 123,511 call options, marking a 28% increase from its average volume.
• The company's stock price rose to $106.27 after a trading session where a total of 12,399,238 shares were exchanged, reflecting a decrease from its average volume of 18,530,229 shares.
• Analysts continue to be optimistic, with an average consensus target price of $112.38 for Walmart, where most analysts rated it as a "Moderate Buy."

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock investors purchased 123,511 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 28% compared to the average volume of 96,733 call options.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT stock traded up $4.15 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $106.27. The company had a trading volume of 12,399,238 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,530,229. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $101.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $97.46. The company has a market cap of $847.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.80 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.79. Walmart has a twelve month low of $79.81 and a twelve month high of $106.11.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 21st. The retailer reported $0.68 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $169.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.02 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.45% and a net margin of 3.08%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.67 earnings per share. Walmart has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.580-0.600 EPS. FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.620 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Walmart will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. Evercore ISI restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $110.00 price target (up from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, August 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Walmart from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $111.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, September 24th. Finally, Mizuho restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Thirty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $112.38.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.96, for a total transaction of $403,840.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,052,455 shares in the company, valued at $106,255,856.80. This represents a 0.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.97, for a total transaction of $1,863,353.52. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 4,392,985 shares in the company, valued at approximately $421,594,770.45. The trade was a 0.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 149,488 shares of company stock valued at $14,917,151 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Access Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Operose Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 319.7% during the 1st quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the period. PFS Partners LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 267.8% during the 2nd quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 320 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 233 shares during the period. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. lifted its stake in Walmart by 98.2% during the 1st quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the period. Finally, Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd lifted its stake in Walmart by 432.4% during the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 362 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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