Walmart Stock Cools Off After Weak Current-Quarter Guidance

The retail giant shrugged off upbeat Q1 report

Assistant Editor

May 21, 2026 at 10:45 AM

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) shares are taking a fall this morning, after weak earnings guidance overshadowed upbeat first-quarter revenue and earnings that came in line with expectations. Walmart was last seen down 7.8% to trade at $120.69.

Should these losses hold, the stock is on track for its worst single-day decline since 2023. The stock's 100-day moving average has been breached today for the first time in 2026. WMT is now down 10.5% from its May 19 all-time high of $135.16, but is 9% higher on the year.

Options bears are swarming the retail giant, so far 84,000 puts have changed hands -- eight times the average daily pace. The most popular option by far being the July 110 put followed by the weekly 5/22 120-strike put, with openings detected at both.

Option are looking affordable in a post-earnings volatility crush, per WMT's Schaeffer's Volatility Index (SVI) of 32% stands higher than 8% of all other readings from the past year.

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