Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Trading Down 1.3% – Time to Sell?

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) dropped 1.3% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $123.05 and last traded at $123.49. Approximately 18,103,931 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 47% from the average daily volume of 34,162,352 shares. The stock had previously closed at $125.12.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on WMT shares. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $147.00 price target (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $138.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 price target (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, January 15th. CICC Research initiated coverage on Walmart in a research report on Friday, December 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $125.00 price target on the stock. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $135.76.

Walmart Stock Down 1.3%

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 stock has a market cap of $984.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.63 and a beta of 0.66. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $122.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $111.44.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.66 EPS. 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 analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.27, for a total transaction of $2,445,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 506,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $61,962,034.28. The trade was a 3.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.83, for a total value of $2,171,291.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 4,315,333 shares in the company, valued at $482,583,689.39. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 279,703 shares of company stock worth $34,140,843. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WMT. Collier Financial bought a new stake in Walmart in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the third quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Company Profile

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.