Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Call Options on Walmart (NYSE:WMT)

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Stock traders bought 148,425 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 26% compared to the typical daily volume of 117,785 call options.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT traded down $1.12 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $89.32. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 7,966,758 shares, compared to its average volume of 16,844,219. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $82.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $73.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $717.98 billion, a PE ratio of 36.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.29 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.85. Walmart has a one year low of $49.85 and a one year high of $90.95.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.53 by $0.05. Walmart had a net margin of 2.92% and a return on equity of 21.78%. The company had revenue of $169.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $167.69 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.51 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart will post 2.47 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.96, for a total value of $1,088,850.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 593,040 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,198,598.40. The trade was a 2.17 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 2,375,563 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.96, for a total value of $182,823,328.48. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 619,646,544 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,687,998,026.24. The trade was a 0.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 12,337,337 shares of company stock valued at $958,823,647. Company insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 77.3% during the third quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Hoese & Co LLP bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC bought a new stake in Walmart during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC raised its position in Walmart by 138.3% in the 2nd quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 429 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. UBS Group increased their target price on Walmart from $92.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Walmart from $81.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 14th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Walmart to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. Finally, Melius Research initiated coverage on Walmart in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $91.88.

Walmart Company Profile

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.