Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Trading Down 1.3% – Time to Sell?

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) were down 1.3% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $117.65 and last traded at $117.8060. Approximately 24,496,505 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 57% from the average daily volume of 56,481,414 shares. The stock had previously closed at $119.36.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI set a $120.00 target price on shares of Walmart and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Truist Financial set a $127.00 price objective on Walmart in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $120.00 target price (up previously from $115.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, November 21st. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $125.00 target price (up from $115.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Thirty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.03.

Walmart Trading Down 1.3%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company has a market cap of $938.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.19, a PEG ratio of 5.06 and a beta of 0.66. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $112.46 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $104.98.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.31% and a net margin of 3.26%.The business had revenue of $179.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $175.15 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.58 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP Donna Morris sold 9,384 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.19, for a total value of $1,127,862.96. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 536,312 shares in the company, valued at $64,459,339.28. The trade was a 1.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.83, for a total transaction of $2,171,291.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 4,315,333 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $482,583,689.39. The trade was a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 115,799 shares of company stock valued at $12,990,803. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. CWM LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 24.2% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,175,703 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $121,168,000 after acquiring an additional 229,220 shares in the last quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 5,091,126 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $497,771,000 after purchasing an additional 42,645 shares during the last quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. increased its holdings in Walmart by 16.6% during the 3rd quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 63,782 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $6,567,000 after purchasing an additional 9,061 shares in the last quarter. Aviva PLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 16.4% in the second quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 3,833,720 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $374,861,000 after purchasing an additional 539,504 shares during the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 5.2% in the third quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 293,866 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $30,286,000 after purchasing an additional 14,487 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Company Profile

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.