Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Shares Down 2.4% Following Insider Selling

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT)’s share price dropped 2.4% during trading on Wednesday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock traded as low as $117.45 and last traded at $118.13. 21,645,436 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 17% from the average session volume of 26,101,914 shares. The stock had previously closed at $121.03.

Specifically, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,385 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.83, for a total value of $165,964.55. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 633,784 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $75,946,336.72. The trade was a 0.22% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total value of $1,435,203.96. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 125,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,985,527.94. This trade represents a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WMT. Guggenheim lifted their price target on Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $138.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. UBS Group set a $141.00 target price on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 price target (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.85.

Walmart Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The company has a market cap of $932.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.12, a PEG ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.59. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $124.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $122.07.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.66. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The business had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.61 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. Research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. MFA Wealth Services raised its stake in Walmart by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. MFA Wealth Services now owns 10,909 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,356,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Realta Investment Advisors boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Realta Investment Advisors now owns 4,089 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $508,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Compton Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 4.1% during the first quarter. Compton Financial Group LLC now owns 2,081 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $259,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Renaissance Group LLC now owns 9,636 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,074,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Calton & Associates Inc. raised its position in shares of Walmart by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Calton & Associates Inc. now owns 27,220 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,033,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.