Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Shares Down 1.1% – Time to Sell?

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT)’s share price fell 1.1% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $123.94 and last traded at $124.42. 18,572,150 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 50% from the average session volume of 37,366,223 shares. The stock had previously closed at $125.75.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart reported a modest Q4 beat, raised FY guidance range and paired results with shareholder-friendly capital return: the company completed a $16.14B repurchase, approved a new $30B buyback authorization and a $0.99 FY27 dividend — all supportive of EPS and shareholder returns. How Investors May Respond To Walmart E-commerce Strength And New US$30 Billion Buyback Plan
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst optimism is building: TD Cowen raised its WMT price target to $145 (from $136) citing AI-enabled retail momentum, and other Street notes have lifted targets—this supports upside expectations. TD Cowen Raises Walmart (WMT) Price Target to $145 from $136
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is pushing in-store tech and supplier tools (Scintilla In-Store) and rolling out new national brands, which should help inventory execution, grow marketplace/advertising revenue and lift e‑commerce penetration. These initiatives support longer-term margin expansion. Walmart Supplier Tech And New Brands Reframe Stores As Data Platforms
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart management will participate in upcoming investor events and webcasts — useful for analysts and investors to get direct color on strategy, but not an immediate earnings-moving item. Walmart Leadership to Participate in Upcoming Investor Events
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart agreed to settle FTC claims over deceptive pay disclosures in its Spark driver program for roughly $100M, accused of misleading drivers and customers about base pay and tip handling — a new one-time charge and reputational/legal risk that is weighing on sentiment. Walmart agrees to $100M settlement over deceptive pay practices in Spark Driver program Walmart agrees to pay $16 million to its Spark delivery drivers to settle claims it misled them over tips and pay
• Negative Sentiment: An insider sale (CEO John Furner sold 13,125 shares) was reported — typically a small negative signal that can amplify short-term selling pressure when combined with the FTC news. John Furner Sells 13,125 Shares of Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Stock

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on WMT. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 price objective on Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $140.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $145.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.67.

Walmart Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $991.65 billion, a PE ratio of 45.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.12 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $119.97 and a 200-day moving average of $109.81.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The company had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.66 EPS. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be issued a $0.2475 dividend. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.31%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.99, for a total value of $1,574,868.75. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 727,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $87,251,328.45. This represents a 1.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total value of $4,158,004.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 533,466 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $65,082,852. This represents a 6.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 261,903 shares of company stock valued at $31,496,959. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Collier Financial acquired a new position in Walmart during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Access Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP purchased a new stake in Walmart in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Company Profile

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.