Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) EVP Sells $359,368.00 in Stock

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.92, for a total transaction of $359,368.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 577,853 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $71,607,543.76. The trade was a 0.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Christopher James Nicholas also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, April 16th, Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of Walmart stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.72, for a total transaction of $361,688.00.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $120.27 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The business’s 50 day moving average is $126.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $120.16. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $93.43 and a 52-week high of $135.15. The firm has a market cap of $958.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.20, a PEG ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.65.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.66. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The business had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.61 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. Research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 price objective (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 11th. HSBC cut shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $122.00 to $131.00 in a report on Friday, February 20th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.71.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Walmart by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $49,015,626,000 after acquiring an additional 4,304,436 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Walmart by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $19,046,104,000 after acquiring an additional 2,242,364 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $11,426,753,000 after purchasing an additional 6,517,394 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $6,458,529,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,626,852 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,526,238,000 after purchasing an additional 328,229 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart posted solid first-quarter results, with revenue of $177.8 billion and EPS of $0.66, while e-commerce sales rose 26% and advertising revenue jumped 37%, highlighting continued strength in digital and membership-driven businesses.
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts remained constructive after earnings: Bank of America reiterated a Buy rating and said Walmart is well positioned to gain share in a price-sensitive environment, while BTIG and BNP Paribas Exane also kept positive ratings despite modestly trimming price targets.
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart disclosed pre-arranged insider sales by CEO John Furner and EVP Christopher James Nicholas, but both transactions were made under 10b5-1 plans, which typically limits how much investors read into them.
• Neutral Sentiment: News reports also noted leadership changes, including the departure of Sam’s Club COO Tom Ward and U.S. stores EVP Cedric Clark, adding some uncertainty but not appearing to change the company’s near-term operating outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Shares weakened after Walmart issued second-quarter EPS guidance below consensus and reaffirmed full-year targets that also came in below Wall Street expectations, prompting concerns that margin pressure could continue.
• Negative Sentiment: Management said elevated fuel prices are pressuring both consumers and Walmart’s own costs, reinforcing worries that spending could soften and profitability could stay under pressure in the coming quarters.

About Walmart

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.