Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Shares Down 2.7% – Should You Sell?

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT)’s share price traded down 2.7% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $110.44 and last traded at $111.10. 28,254,440 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 11% from the average session volume of 25,477,316 shares. The stock had previously closed at $114.22.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 price objective (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Walmart from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 price objective (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.65.

Walmart Stock Performance

The company’s fifty day moving average price is $115.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $122.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $884.14 billion, a PE ratio of 38.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.22 and a beta of 0.60.

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

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total value of $413,891.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 630,009 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,074,186.76. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.63, for a total value of $2,303,320.08. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,174,579 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $495,230,306.77. This trade represents a 0.46% 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. Over the last three months, insiders sold 67,729 shares of company stock worth $8,124,931. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WMT. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 28.8% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,868,000 after purchasing an additional 21,939 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $800,000 after purchasing an additional 485 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 3.5% in the first quarter. Peterson Wealth Management now owns 50,307 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,416,000 after buying an additional 1,715 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 0.9% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 13,008 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,272,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the period. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 91,341 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,931,000 after buying an additional 1,048 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.