Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Trading Down 1.1% – What’s Next?

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT)’s stock price was down 1.1% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $123.94 and last traded at $124.42. Approximately 18,572,150 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 50% from the average daily volume of 37,366,223 shares. The stock had previously closed at $125.75.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America initiated coverage with a “Buy” rating and a $150 price target, signaling materially higher analyst optimism versus the current share level (roughly +17% upside from the cited price).
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results showed a slight EPS beat (reported $0.74 vs. $0.73 est.) and revenue topped estimates; management issued FY2027 EPS guidance of $2.75–$2.85, supporting multiple expansion and investor confidence.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is rolling out its Scintilla In-Store data platform and expanding private/partner brands, moves that reinforce higher-margin adjacencies (ads, marketplace, fulfillment) and long-term e‑commerce/store integration growth. Walmart Supplier Tech And New Brands Reframe Stores As Data Platforms
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage consensus remains constructive — a “Moderate Buy” consensus was reported, reflecting institutional buy-side alignment but some variance in targets. Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart leadership will participate in upcoming investor events and webcasts — provides management access to investors for strategy updates and Q&A, which can influence near-term sentiment. Walmart Leadership to Participate in Upcoming Investor Events
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart agreed to settle FTC claims over Spark driver pay for roughly $100M total, including a $16M payout to drivers over alleged misleading pay/tip claims — a near-term cash hit and reputational/legal overhang, though not material to operating margins long-term at scale. Walmart agrees to $100M settlement over deceptive pay practices in Spark Driver program Walmart agrees to pay $16 million to its Spark delivery drivers to settle claims it misled them over tips and pay

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 target price (up from $136.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $147.00 target price (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 price target (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. HSBC cut shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $122.00 to $131.00 in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Walmart from $110.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $134.42.

Walmart Stock Up 2.8%

The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The company has a market capitalization of $1.02 trillion, a P/E ratio of 46.70, a PEG ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 0.65. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $120.44 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $110.07.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid a $0.2475 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.31%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.99, for a total value of $1,574,868.75. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 727,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $87,251,328.45. This trade represents a 1.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.27, for a total value of $2,445,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 506,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,962,034.28. This trade represents a 3.80% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 261,903 shares of company stock worth $31,829,749 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Collier Financial bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Access Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.