Shares of Walmart Inc (NASDAQ:WMT) are up 3.3% to trade at $120.04 after Deutsche bank raised the stock to "buy" from "hold" and issued a price-target hike of $136 from $113. The analyst cited a favorable setup for the security heading into 2027.
Analysts were predominately bullish ahead of the event. Of the 39 analysts covering WMT, 29 carry a "strong buy" rating, while 6 rate the stock a "buy," and just 4 recommend "hold."
The grocery stock is trading above $120 for the first time since June as it heads for its eighth win in the last nine sessions. Year to date, the equity is up 7.6%.
The retailer sports a 50-day call/put volume ratio of 2.70 on the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX). This ratio stands higher than 80% of all other readings from the past year, hinting at a much healthier-than-usual appetite for bullish bets of late.
It's also worth noting that the equity's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) sits in the 9th percentile of its annual range, meaning options traders are pricing in low volatility expectations.
