Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Shares Down 2.2% Following Insider Selling

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) fell 2.2% during mid-day trading on Tuesday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock traded as low as $124.55 and last traded at $124.86. Approximately 20,934,146 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 16% from the average session volume of 24,796,098 shares. The stock had previously closed at $127.69.

Specifically, CTO Suresh Kumar sold 166,342 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.21, for a total value of $20,494,997.82. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer directly owned 1,632,223 shares in the company, valued at approximately $201,106,195.83. This trade represents a 9.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing 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 Daniel Bartlett sold 3,346 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.51, for a total value of $416,610.46. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 615,013 shares in the company, valued at $76,575,268.63. The trade was a 0.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on WMT shares. Freedom Broker raised shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Gordon Haskett downgraded shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to an “accumulate” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of Walmart from $137.00 to $131.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $130.00 price target (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $132.41.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s e-commerce sales are reportedly growing faster than Amazon’s, and the company has gained online market share. That growth could help support its longer-term sales outlook. Article: 1 Stat That Makes Walmart Hard to Ignore This November
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is expanding its Sparky AI shopping assistant ahead of the holiday season. The initiative could improve customer engagement and order spending, though its sales impact remains to be seen. Article: Can Walmart’s Expanded Sparky AI Boost Holiday Shopping and Sales?
• Neutral Sentiment: A Zacks analysis says Walmart’s earnings history and current indicators make another earnings beat possible. This is an analyst expectation, not a reported result. Article: Why Walmart Is Poised to Beat Earnings Estimates Again
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is investigating whistleblower claims of vendor kickbacks at Flipkart; the allegations have not been established. The company also announced a home backup-energy offering and plans for a Texas robotics facility, developments whose financial effects are unclear. Article: Walmart Probes Flipkart Claims As It Expands Into Power And Texas Robotics
• Negative Sentiment: Recent commentary has called Walmart’s valuation stretched and reiterated a “strong sell” view. Concerns that the share price already reflects substantial growth could pressure sentiment, despite the company’s defensive retail profile. Article: Walmart: Back To The Strong Sell Rating Article: Walmart’s Defensive Reputation Collides With A Stretched Valuation

Walmart Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $990.61 billion, a PE ratio of 45.08, a PEG ratio of 4.29 and a beta of 0.58. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $110.71 and a 200-day moving average price of $118.44.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.83% and a net margin of 3.00%. The firm had revenue of $187.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $186.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.68 earnings per share. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. Research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Montgomery Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the second quarter valued at $32,000. Turim 21 Investimentos Ltda. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. Pingora Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. PMV Capital Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 44.3% in the 1st quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 316 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Company Profile

Walmart Inc (NASDAQ:WMT) operates a global retail business through a network of supercenters, supermarkets, discount stores, neighborhood markets, warehouse clubs and e-commerce platforms. Its stores and websites sell a broad assortment of merchandise, including groceries, consumables, health and wellness products, apparel, electronics, home goods, toys and other general merchandise.

The company organizes its operations into Walmart U.S., Walmart International and Sam’s Club U.S. Walmart U.S.