Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT – Get Free Report) shares traded up 1% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $106.64 and last traded at $105.92. Approximately 21,962,730 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 15% from the average daily volume of 25,726,162 shares. The stock had previously closed at $104.87.
Trending Headlines about Walmart
Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Restaurant delivery partnership expands Walmart’s digital ecosystem. Walmart will begin delivering from Dunkin’ locations, positioning itself more directly against DoorDash and Uber Eats. The deal could increase customer engagement, delivery frequency and advertising or marketplace opportunities, although restaurant delivery is likely to be competitive and lower margin. Walmart Expands Restaurant Delivery With Dunkin Deal Walmart Takes on DoorDash and Uber Eats
- Positive Sentiment: Product launches and analyst support reinforce the long-term growth narrative. New offerings across fashion, grocery, health and home show Walmart continuing to expand its role in everyday consumer spending. Tigress Financial also reiterated a Buy rating. These positives are tempered by the stock’s elevated earnings multiple and recent weakness. Walmart Product Launches and Valuation Tigress Financial Buy Rating
- Neutral Sentiment: Haleon negotiated better shelf placement at Walmart. The arrangement may signal the importance of Walmart’s retail footprint and could support supplier relationships, but it is not expected to materially change Walmart’s near-term financial results. Haleon Secures Better Shelf Space at Walmart
- Neutral Sentiment: An executive sold a modest amount of stock. EVP Daniel Bartlett sold 3,950 shares worth about $415,000 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, reducing his holdings by only 0.63%. The transaction is therefore a limited signal of insider sentiment. Walmart SEC Insider Filing
- Negative Sentiment: The DOJ expanded its investigation into retail beef-price increases to include Walmart. The inquiry creates potential legal, reputational and compliance risks, though the reports do not establish wrongdoing by Walmart. DOJ Expands Beef Price Investigation
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. Erste Group Bank downgraded Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, June 5th. BTIG Research cut their price objective on shares of Walmart from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Gordon Haskett downgraded shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to an “accumulate” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Walmart from $140.00 to $120.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $120.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $131.88.
Walmart Stock Performance
The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $111.12 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $119.88. The stock has a market cap of $863.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 0.59.
Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $186.64 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.83% and a net margin of 3.00%.The firm’s revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.68 EPS. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. Analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 earnings per share for the current year.
Insider Activity at Walmart
In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.35, for a total value of $5,335,345.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 201,672 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,246,145.20. This represents a 20.07% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 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 Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,950 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.14, for a total transaction of $415,303.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 622,349 shares in the company, valued at $65,433,773.86. This represents a 0.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 81,242 shares of company stock worth $8,836,446. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Institutional Trading of Walmart
Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the first quarter worth about $29,000. Montgomery Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Walmart during the second quarter worth about $32,000. Sankala Group LLC bought a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.
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.
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