Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Trading Down 1.6% Following Insider Selling

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT)’s stock price traded down 1.6% during mid-day trading on Thursday after an insider sold shares in the company. The company traded as low as $102.27 and last traded at $102.63. Approximately 29,321,384 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 14% from the average daily volume of 25,725,025 shares. The stock had previously closed at $104.34.

Specifically, EVP Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.35, for a total value of $5,335,345.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 201,672 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,246,145.20. The trade was a 20.07% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.34, for a total transaction of $308,386.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 569,153 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $60,523,730.02. The trade was a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the topic of several research reports. Oppenheimer restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday. Freedom Broker raised Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded Walmart to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Evercore set a $125.00 price objective on Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Gordon Haskett downgraded Walmart from a “buy” rating to an “accumulate” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $131.88.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart reported fiscal Q2 revenue of approximately $187.9 billion, while global e-commerce grew 23% and advertising revenue surged 38%. The results reinforce the company’s growth in digital retail and higher-margin businesses. Walmart Q2 2027 Earnings Call Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts maintain a consensus price target of $138.50, implying confidence that Walmart’s long-term growth strategy and earnings outlook can support a higher valuation. Separately, traders purchased a large volume of call options, signaling bullish speculative interest. Walmart Consensus Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart and Sam’s Club raised more than $39 million for Children’s Miracle Network hospitals. The campaign supports the company’s community reputation but is unlikely to materially affect near-term earnings or the stock. Walmart and Sam’s Club Children’s Miracle Network Support
• Negative Sentiment: The recent selloff reflects concerns that Walmart may be fully priced after a roughly 127% five-year advance. Commentary points to slowing store-sales growth and limited valuation support, with the shares trading below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages. Walmart Stock Looks Fully Priced
• Negative Sentiment: Executive Vice President Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares worth about $5.3 million. The transaction reduced his holdings by roughly 20%, although it occurred under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan to cover tax withholding on vested equity awards, making it a weaker bearish signal than discretionary insider selling. Walmart SEC Insider Transaction Filing

Walmart Trading Down 1.6%

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $112.47 and a 200 day moving average of $120.78. The company has a market capitalization of $816.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.05, a PEG ratio of 4.00 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 1st quarter worth $29,000. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Montgomery Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the second quarter worth about $32,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 57.4% during the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sankala Group LLC bought a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 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.