Walmart Sees Unusual Options Trading Activity

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) experienced a significant surge in options trading on Thursday, with traders acquiring a total of 245,424 call options. This amount marks an increase of 82% when compared to the average daily trading volume, which typically totals around 134,801 call options.

Insider Transactions

In related news, there have been some recent insider sales at Walmart. Executive Vice President Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,063 shares of the company's stock on September 16th for an average price of $80.76, amounting to a total of $166,607.88. Post-sale, Bartlett holds 459,558 shares valued at approximately $37 million, indicating a decrease of 0.45% in ownership.

Additionally, on September 26th, CEO C. Douglas McMillon sold 29,124 shares at an average price of $80.64, totaling $2,348,559.36. Following this transaction, McMillon now owns 3,873,053 shares of Walmart, worth about $312 million, reflecting a 0.75% reduction in his stake. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 2,309,091 shares valued at approximately $183 million. Currently, 45.58% of Walmart's stock is held by company insiders.

Institutional Investor Activity

Recently, several institutional investors have made adjustments to their holdings in Walmart. For example, Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA increased its position by 9.6% during the second quarter, acquiring an additional 7,965 shares for a total of 91,038 shares valued at $6.37 million. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC entered a new position in Walmart during the same period worth about $201,000.

Meanwhile, Professional Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake by 1.3%, owning a total of 21,702 shares now worth $1.47 million. Other institutional moves included Silver Lake Advisory LLC purchasing shares along with Triad Wealth Partners LLC, which saw its holdings increase by 111.5%, bringing its total to 7,425 shares valued at $503,000. Overall, institutional investors control approximately 26.76% of Walmart's stock.

Recent Stock Performance

On Thursday, shares of Walmart traded down by $0.87, reaching $94.09 in mid-day trading. The trading volume for the day was 14.16 million shares, slightly lower than its average of 16.92 million. Walmart has a market capitalization of $755.86 billion, with a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 38.98. The company’s financial health reveals a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42 and current ratio of 0.85, with shares fluctuating between a 52-week low of $50.21 and a high of $96.18.

Walmart recently announced its quarterly earnings on November 19th, reporting earnings per share (EPS) of $0.58, surpassing expectations of $0.53. The company saw revenue of $169.59 billion for the quarter, outperforming the consensus estimate of $167.69 billion and reflecting a 5.5% increase year-over-year.

Analyst Ratings and Research Updates

Walmart's stock has received a range of ratings from analysts. The Goldman Sachs Group recently upgraded its price target from $73.00 to $81.00, maintaining a "buy" rating. BMO Capital Markets increased their target to $100.00, with a similar "outperform" designation. Bank of America raised their target price from $95.00 to $105.00, emphasizing a "buy" rating.

DA Davidson also lifted their target from $75.00 to $85.00, categorizing Walmart as a “buy.” In contrast, StockNews.com downgraded Walmart from a "strong-buy" to a "buy" rating. Currently, the consensus among analysts is a "Moderate Buy" with an average target price set at $92.40.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc. is a multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets, discount department stores, and grocery stores. The company is divided into three segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club. Walmart operates various store types, including supercenters and eCommerce platforms, providing a wide range of goods and services to its customers.

Walmart, Trading, Options