Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Trading Down 2.7% – Time to Sell?

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 22nd. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 price objective (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $142.00 target price on shares of Walmart and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Mizuho set a $130.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday. Finally, Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 price target (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 given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.56.

Walmart Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $884.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.14 and a beta of 0.60. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $115.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $121.93. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted 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 analysts’ expectations of $174.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.61 earnings per share. The company’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, research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total value of $413,891.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 630,009 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $69,074,186.76. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.19, for a total value of $342,751.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 574,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $67,953,695.07. This trade represents a 0.50% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 67,729 shares of company stock worth $8,124,931 in the last 90 days. 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 added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Advisortrust Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 20.2% in the 1st quarter. Advisortrust Partners LLC now owns 67,142 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,344,000 after acquiring an additional 11,283 shares during the period. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA boosted its stake in Walmart by 253.3% during the first quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA now owns 384,034 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $47,728,000 after buying an additional 275,337 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 2,416,580 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $300,333,000 after buying an additional 68,632 shares during the period. Vise Technologies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 42.1% during the 4th quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 275,341 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $30,676,000 after acquiring an additional 81,635 shares during the period. Finally, HORAN Wealth LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 55.7% in the first quarter. HORAN Wealth LLC now owns 81,544 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $9,931,000 after acquiring an additional 29,184 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

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.