Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Trading Down 1% – Here’s What Happened

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) traded down 1% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $105.66 and last traded at $106.05. 21,417,317 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 16% from the average session volume of 25,618,891 shares. The stock had previously closed at $107.14.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts reaffirm bullish views: DA Davidson maintained a “buy” rating with a $132 price target, while BTIG Research reiterated its “buy” rating and set a $140 target. These targets imply substantial potential upside and indicate that analysts view Walmart’s recent weakness as an opportunity. DA Davidson Walmart rating
• Positive Sentiment: Tap-to-pay expansion: Walmart is rolling out Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, contactless cards and wearable payments across U.S. stores. Opening checkout to widely used payment methods could improve customer convenience, reduce friction and support store productivity, although it also reduces Walmart’s emphasis on its proprietary payments ecosystem. Walmart expands tap to pay
• Positive Sentiment: Restaurant-delivery expansion: Walmart is reportedly adding Papa John’s to its restaurant-delivery partner network. A broader restaurant selection could increase delivery orders, customer engagement and the value of Walmart’s delivery platform. Walmart adds Papa John’s delivery partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor-event disclosures: Walmart presented at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference, potentially offering additional detail on its technology and growth strategy, but the available report provides no specific new financial guidance. Walmart Goldman Sachs conference transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Higher-rate concerns: Rising U.S. interest rates are prompting investors to test whether consumers can sustain spending, creating a broader risk for Walmart, Costco and Amazon. Walmart’s shares remain below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages, while its elevated valuation leaves less room for disappointing consumer or earnings trends. Walmart Costco and Amazon forecast

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on WMT. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. BNP Paribas Exane restated an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 price objective (down from $146.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Truist Financial set a $114.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Mizuho set a $130.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $131.88.

Walmart Stock Down 0.1%

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 stock has a market capitalization of $838.84 billion, a PE ratio of 38.17, a P/E/G ratio of 4.05 and a beta of 0.59. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $110.45 and its 200-day simple moving average is $119.08.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a net margin of 3.00% and a return on equity of 21.83%. The company had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $186.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.68 earnings per share. The firm’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. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP Christopher Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.34, for a total transaction of $308,386.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 569,153 shares in the company, valued at approximately $60,523,730.02. This trade represents a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.35, for a total value of $5,335,345.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 201,672 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,246,145.20. This represents a 20.07% 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. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold 69,264 shares of company stock worth $7,401,242 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Bell & Brown Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Walmart during the second quarter valued at approximately $6,451,000. Advisortrust Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 20.2% in the first quarter. Advisortrust Partners LLC now owns 67,142 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,344,000 after purchasing an additional 11,283 shares in the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA raised its position in shares of Walmart by 253.3% during the 1st quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA now owns 384,034 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $47,728,000 after purchasing an additional 275,337 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 2,416,580 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $300,333,000 after purchasing an additional 68,632 shares during the period. Finally, Vise Technologies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 42.1% during the 4th quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 275,341 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $30,676,000 after buying an additional 81,635 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc is a multinational retail and technology company that operates supercenters, discount stores, neighborhood markets, e-commerce platforms and membership warehouse clubs. Its merchandise includes groceries, apparel, electronics, home goods, health and beauty products, general merchandise and other consumer products.

Founded by Sam Walton in 1962 and incorporated in 1969, Walmart is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas. The company serves customers through operations in the United States and international markets, including Mexico, Canada, China, India and several countries in Central America and Africa.