Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Stock Price Down 1.7% – Here’s What Happened

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) was down 1.7% during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $118.02 and last traded at $119.02. Approximately 57,290,405 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 74% from the average daily volume of 32,864,105 shares. The stock had previously closed at $121.09.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, January 18th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Craig Hallum set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, March 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $135.76.

Walmart Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $948.88 billion, a PE ratio of 43.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 0.66. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $123.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $112.59.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.31%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total transaction of $4,158,004.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 533,466 shares in the company, valued at $65,082,852. This trade represents a 6.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Donna Morris sold 76,181 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.79, for a total value of $9,430,445.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 402,072 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,772,492.88. The trade was a 15.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 261,153 shares of company stock valued at $32,005,084 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth about $30,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.