Walmart Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:WMT)

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) saw unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Traders acquired 172,007 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 52% compared to the average volume of 113,024 call options.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is seeing unusually heavy call buying, with traders purchasing 172,007 call options, suggesting some investors are betting on a rebound or further upside in the shares.
• Positive Sentiment: New coverage highlighted Walmart’s AI shopping push with Google’s Gemini as a potential catalyst, with agentic shopping moving from concept to production and potentially improving customer engagement and checkout conversion. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart Connect is increasingly viewed as a bigger margin driver, helped by ad growth, seller spending, and e-commerce gains, which could support profitability even if core retail growth slows. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts noted Walmart and Kroger may be better positioned than peers to handle industry headwinds such as inflation, pricing pressure, and cautious consumers thanks to scale, omnichannel growth, and retail media. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart-owned Flipkart is preparing to compete more aggressively in India’s rapid-delivery market, which could expand its international opportunity but is still early-stage and competitive. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Recent research reports flagged slowing U.S. comparable sales and Walmart’s use of price cuts and tariff refunds to manage inventory, raising questions about sales guidance and operating margin durability. Article Title

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,385 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.83, for a total value of $165,964.55. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 633,784 shares in the company, valued at $75,946,336.72. This represents a 0.22% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total value of $1,435,203.96. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 125,067 shares in the company, valued at $14,985,527.94. The trade was a 8.74% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders sold 100,730 shares of company stock valued at $12,444,624. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 57.4% in the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 193.0% in the 4th quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ WMT traded up $3.06 on Thursday, hitting $111.88. 15,474,901 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 26,039,914. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The business’s fifty day moving average is $122.87 and its 200 day moving average is $122.18. Walmart has a 52 week low of $94.23 and a 52 week high of $135.15. The company has a market capitalization of $890.32 billion, a PE ratio of 39.26, a P/E/G ratio of 4.22 and a beta of 0.60.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.84 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.61 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Walmart will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Tigress Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $155.00 price target (up from $150.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 29th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, April 20th. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 price target (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.85.

About Walmart

Walmart is a multinational retail corporation that operates a broad portfolio of store formats and digital services. Its core business includes large-format supercenters, discount department stores, neighborhood grocery stores and a membership warehouse chain, Sam’s Club. The company’s merchandising mix covers groceries, household goods, apparel, electronics and pharmacy services, supplemented by private-label products and category-specific offerings. Walmart pairs its physical store network with online platforms and mobile applications to provide omnichannel shopping, fulfillment and delivery options for consumers and businesses.

The company was founded by Sam Walton, who opened the first store in Rogers, Arkansas in 1962; it is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas.