Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Stock Price Down 1.7% – Here’s What Happened

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT)’s share price fell 1.7% during mid-day trading on Friday. The company traded as low as $123.03 and last traded at $125.52. 24,706,412 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 1% from the average daily volume of 24,906,193 shares. The stock had previously closed at $127.72.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: ETFs added a net $40.3 million of Walmart shares on Nov. 4, indicating institutional fund demand. 54 ETFs Add to Walmart (WMT) on Wednesday
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is expanding its drone-delivery partnership with Zipline, which has raised $1.5 billion at a $21.5 billion valuation. A broader partnership could help Walmart improve delivery capabilities, though the articles do not specify its financial impact. Zipline hits $21.5B valuation as Walmart expands bet on drone delivery
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is working with Meta to integrate its Muse AI shopping agent into the online shopping experience, a move that could create new ways to reach customers and facilitate purchases. What Is Walmart (WMT) Betting On With Its New AI Shopping Agent?
• Neutral Sentiment: A report on potential rate hikes discusses consumer-staples stocks as potentially attractive in that environment. Higher rates may also pressure valuations, so the implication for Walmart is mixed. Rate Hikes Could Be Coming: History Likes These 4 Consumer Staples Stocks
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart executive Suresh Kumar sold 166,342 shares. Insider sales can weigh on sentiment, although a sale alone does not establish a change in the company’s outlook. Walmart Stock: Insider Suresh Kumar Sells 166,342 Shares

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Truist Financial set a $114.00 target price on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Roth Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $138.00 price target (up from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. BNP Paribas Exane reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 price target (down from $146.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Freedom Broker upgraded Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $130.00 price objective (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $129.62.

Walmart Trading Down 1.7%

The business’s 50 day moving average price is $112.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $118.55. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The company has a market capitalization of $995.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.31, a P/E/G ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 0.53.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $187.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $186.64 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.00% and a return on equity of 21.83%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.68 EPS. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP Christopher Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.60, for a total transaction of $349,740.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 563,353 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $67,940,371.80. This trade represents a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.00, for a total value of $575,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 110,432 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,699,680. This trade represents a 4.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 268,222 shares of company stock worth $31,604,051 over the last three months. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp lifted its position in Walmart by 1.1% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 188,036,646 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $21,297,031,000 after purchasing an additional 2,107,781 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 2nd quarter valued at $7,455,131,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of Walmart by 6.4% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 28,142,040 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,497,493,000 after purchasing an additional 1,681,353 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 2nd quarter worth $2,905,655,000. Finally, Amundi raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 44.4% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 20,796,957 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,355,463,000 after buying an additional 6,393,326 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Walmart

Walmart is a multinational retailer that operates discount stores, supercenters, neighborhood markets, and membership warehouse clubs. Its business includes Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam’s Club.

The company sells groceries and a broad range of general merchandise, including apparel, electronics, household goods, and health and wellness products. Walmart also serves customers through e-commerce, with services such as order pickup and delivery.

Founded by Sam Walton in 1962, Walmart is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas.