Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Stock Price Down 2.7% – Time to Sell?

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) fell 2.7% during mid-day trading on Thursday. The company traded as low as $107.51 and last traded at $107.59. Approximately 24,602,098 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 3% from the average session volume of 25,428,678 shares. The stock had previously closed at $110.53.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart continues expanding higher-margin growth channels, including retail media, e-commerce, customer data and omnichannel services. Its scale and store network could help it compete effectively with Target and Dollar General in advertising. How Walmart, Target and Dollar General Are Scaling Retail Media
• Positive Sentiment: The company opened a new Neighborhood Market in Mesquite, Texas, adding grocery, pharmacy and everyday-essential capacity while extending Walmart’s localized convenience strategy. Walmart Opens New Neighborhood Market in Mesquite, Texas
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage highlights Walmart’s expanding AI-shopping relationships and broader digital ecosystem. These initiatives could improve discovery and conversion, but investors are still assessing whether the potential growth justifies the stock’s rich earnings multiple. Walmart Stock Looks About Right As AI Shopping Ties Expand
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend comparisons with Kroger and Costco emphasize Walmart’s stability and long record of shareholder returns, but also its relatively low yield. The articles are more relevant to income-focused investors than to near-term earnings expectations. Walmart and Kroger Compete for the Same Shopper. Their Dividends Are a Different Story
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts are increasingly concerned that Walmart’s valuation leaves limited upside. Competitive pressure, consumer belt-tightening and potential margin compression could slow profit growth, prompting recent downgrade commentary. We May Be Seeing Peak Walmart
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart’s operating margin reportedly fell to its lowest level in nine years, reinforcing concerns that investments, pricing competition and cost pressures may limit earnings leverage. Walmart Just Posted Its Lowest Operating Margin in Nine Years

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. Erste Group Bank cut Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. Freedom Capital upgraded Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Walmart from $137.00 to $131.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $130.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $131.88.

Walmart Stock Down 2.7%

The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $109.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $117.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The company has a market cap of $853.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 0.59.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.83% and a net margin of 3.00%.The company had revenue of $187.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $186.64 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.68 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP Christopher Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.65, for a total value of $309,285.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 566,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $60,390,882.45. This trade represents a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.35, for a total transaction of $5,335,345.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 201,672 shares in the company, valued at $21,246,145.20. This represents a 20.07% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold 81,004 shares of company stock worth $8,601,724 in the last 90 days. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.1% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 188,036,646 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $21,297,031,000 after acquiring an additional 2,107,781 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $11,426,753,000 after acquiring an additional 6,517,394 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in Walmart in the second quarter valued at about $7,455,131,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $6,458,529,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in Walmart by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 36,820,550 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,102,546,000 after purchasing an additional 920,969 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc is a multinational retail and technology company that operates supercenters, discount stores, neighborhood markets, e-commerce platforms and membership warehouse clubs. Its merchandise includes groceries, apparel, electronics, home goods, health and beauty products, general merchandise and other consumer products.

Founded by Sam Walton in 1962 and incorporated in 1969, Walmart is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas. The company serves customers through operations in the United States and international markets, including Mexico, Canada, China, India and several countries in Central America and Africa.