Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Shares Down 1.6% – Time to Sell?

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) fell 1.6% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $112.99 and last traded at $113.18. 22,829,674 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 22% from the average session volume of 18,636,988 shares. The stock had previously closed at $115.06.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on WMT shares. Wolfe Research started coverage on Walmart in a research report on Thursday, September 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $129.00 target price for the company. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $109.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Telsey Advisory Group raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $118.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Tigress Financial lifted their price objective on Walmart from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Thirty-one equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $119.31.

Walmart Trading Up 1.0%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $930.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.80, a P/E/G ratio of 5.34 and a beta of 0.64. The business has a 50-day moving average of $106.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $101.46.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.31% and a net margin of 3.26%.The firm had revenue of $179.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $175.15 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.58 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. Research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.75, for a total value of $1,374,843.75. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 879,815 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $92,160,621.25. The trade was a 1.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.23, for a total transaction of $244,706.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 617,318 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $68,664,281.14. This represents a 0.36% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 128,013 shares of company stock valued at $13,553,747. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Alecta Tjanstepension Omsesidigt grew its position in Walmart by 42.1% during the 3rd quarter. Alecta Tjanstepension Omsesidigt now owns 1,091,400 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $112,458,000 after acquiring an additional 323,100 shares during the last quarter. Saranac Partners Ltd acquired a new position in Walmart in the third quarter worth $6,727,000. Severin Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.7% during the third quarter. Severin Investments LLC now owns 11,644 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,200,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 11.4% in the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 134,634 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $13,879,000 after buying an additional 13,793 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stillwater Wealth Management Group bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter valued at about $3,772,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, other units, and eCommerce worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club. It operates supercenters, supermarkets, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs, cash and carry stores, and discount stores under Walmart and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands; membership-only warehouse clubs; ecommerce websites, such as walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, PhonePe and other sites; and mobile commerce applications.