Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading Down 1.7% Following Insider Selling

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) fell 1.7% during mid-day trading on Friday after an insider sold shares in the company. The company traded as low as $104.72 and last traded at $105.29. 41,380,293 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 124% from the average session volume of 18,464,504 shares. The stock had previously closed at $107.11.

Specifically, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.63, for a total value of $406,520.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 1,040,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $105,741,441.65. The trade was a 0.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,630 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.58, for a total value of $167,205.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 642,788 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $65,937,193.04. This trade represents a 0.25% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Walmart from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 price target (up previously from $115.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $109.00 to $119.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Tigress Financial upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Thirty-one research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $118.55.

Walmart Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $103.52 and a 200-day moving average price of $99.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $839.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.58, a P/E/G ratio of 4.83 and a beta of 0.67.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.02. Walmart had a net margin of 3.08% and a return on equity of 21.45%. The business had revenue of $179.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $175.15 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.58 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 28.8% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,868,000 after buying an additional 21,939 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $800,000 after buying an additional 485 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 98.4% during the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 263,957 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $23,173,000 after buying an additional 130,887 shares in the last quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management bought a new stake in Walmart during the 1st quarter valued at $140,000. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 10.8% in the 1st quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 387,260 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $33,998,000 after purchasing an additional 37,623 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Company Profile

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.