Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) EVP Latriece Watkins Sells 5,000 Shares of Stock

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) EVP Latriece Watkins sold 5,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.00, for a total transaction of $575,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 110,432 shares in the company, valued at $12,699,680. This trade represents a 4.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Walmart Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of Walmart stock traded up $0.94 during trading on Friday, reaching $118.81. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 20,539,491 shares, compared to its average volume of 25,110,260. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $98.88 and a 52-week high of $135.15. The company has a market cap of $942.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.89, a PEG ratio of 4.43 and a beta of 0.58. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $108.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $116.21. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released 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. 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 quarterly revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Deutsche Bank upgraded Walmart to Buy from Hold and raised its price target to $136 from $113. The bank cited a more favorable setup heading into 2027, including potential margin contributions from Walmart Connect, Walmart+, and the company’s growing marketplace. Walmart Stock Pops Following Deutsche Bank Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s global e-commerce sales rose 23% in the quarter ended July 31, while management raised fiscal 2027 adjusted earnings guidance to $2.80–$2.87 per share. Faster pickup, delivery options, and Walmart+ engagement could support holiday sales. Home Depot vs. Walmart
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s expanded employee benefits, including broader free prescription coverage and paid leave, may improve worker retention and reinforce its defensive appeal as consumers face persistent inflation. Walmart gains as investors rotate into defensives
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart’s long-term returns across milestones including the Jet.com acquisition highlight the stock’s durable performance, but also show that investor results vary significantly depending on the purchase date. Walmart’s Total Return From 5 Milestones
• Negative Sentiment: Inflation reached 3.7% in September, increasing the likelihood of higher interest rates. Rising rates could pressure consumer spending, financing costs, and Walmart’s valuation, which remains elevated after its recent gains.
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that Walmart and Target face surging costs could weigh on margins if the retailers cannot fully pass expenses on to customers. Walmart, Target face a new price problem
• Negative Sentiment: An FDA warning letter has placed Walmart’s marketplace compliance under investor scrutiny, creating a potential regulatory and reputational overhang. FDA Warning Letter Puts Walmart Marketplace Compliance Under Scrutiny

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Roth Capital reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Citigroup reduced their price target on Walmart from $147.00 to $132.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Evercore set a $125.00 price target on Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $130.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Truist Financial set a $114.00 price objective on Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-three have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $132.41.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of WMT. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Walmart by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 188,036,646 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $21,297,031,000 after buying an additional 2,107,781 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $7,455,131,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 6.4% during the first 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 buying an additional 1,681,353 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,905,655,000. Finally, Amundi raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 44.4% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 20,796,957 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,355,463,000 after acquiring an additional 6,393,326 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc (NASDAQ: WMT) is a multinational retailer that operates supercenters, discount stores, neighborhood markets, warehouse clubs and e-commerce platforms. Its merchandise includes groceries, apparel, electronics, home goods, health and wellness products, household essentials and general merchandise. Walmart also provides services such as grocery pickup and delivery, pharmacy services, financial products and digital advertising.

The company serves customers through its Walmart U.S., Walmart International and Sam’s Club segments.