Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT – Get Free Report) fell 1.7% on Friday. The company traded as low as $123.03 and last traded at $125.52. Approximately 24,706,412 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 1% from the average session volume of 24,906,193 shares. The stock had previously closed at $127.72.
More Walmart News
Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:
- Positive Sentiment: ETFs added a net $40.3 million of Walmart shares on Nov. 4, indicating institutional fund demand. 54 ETFs Add to Walmart (WMT) on Wednesday
- Positive Sentiment: Walmart is expanding its drone-delivery partnership with Zipline, which has raised $1.5 billion at a $21.5 billion valuation. A broader partnership could help Walmart improve delivery capabilities, though the articles do not specify its financial impact. Zipline hits $21.5B valuation as Walmart expands bet on drone delivery
- Positive Sentiment: Walmart is working with Meta to integrate its Muse AI shopping agent into the online shopping experience, a move that could create new ways to reach customers and facilitate purchases. What Is Walmart (WMT) Betting On With Its New AI Shopping Agent?
- Neutral Sentiment: A report on potential rate hikes discusses consumer-staples stocks as potentially attractive in that environment. Higher rates may also pressure valuations, so the implication for Walmart is mixed. Rate Hikes Could Be Coming: History Likes These 4 Consumer Staples Stocks
- Negative Sentiment: Walmart executive Suresh Kumar sold 166,342 shares. Insider sales can weigh on sentiment, although a sale alone does not establish a change in the company’s outlook. Walmart Stock: Insider Suresh Kumar Sells 166,342 Shares
Analyst Ratings Changes
WMT has been the subject of a number of research reports. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 target price (down from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Freedom Broker upgraded shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $125.00 price target (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. Guggenheim set a $130.00 price objective on Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $129.62.
View Our Latest Research Report on WMT
Walmart Price Performance
The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $112.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $118.55. 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 company has a market capitalization of $995.84 billion, a PE ratio of 45.31, a P/E/G ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 0.53.
Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a net margin of 3.00% and a return on equity of 21.83%. The firm had revenue of $187.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $186.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.68 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 earnings per share for the current year.
Insider Transactions at Walmart
In related news, CTO Suresh Kumar sold 166,342 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.21, for a total value of $20,494,997.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer directly owned 1,632,223 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $201,106,195.83. This trade represents a 9.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Christopher Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.60, for a total transaction of $349,740.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 563,353 shares in the company, valued at approximately $67,940,371.80. This trade represents a 0.51% 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 quarter, insiders sold 268,222 shares of company stock worth $31,604,051. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart
A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Walmart by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 188,036,646 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $21,297,031,000 after purchasing an additional 2,107,781 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in Walmart during the second quarter worth about $7,455,131,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in Walmart by 6.4% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 28,142,040 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,497,493,000 after buying an additional 1,681,353 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the second quarter worth approximately $2,905,655,000. Finally, Amundi increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 44.4% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 20,796,957 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,355,463,000 after buying an additional 6,393,326 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
About Walmart
Walmart is a multinational retailer that operates discount stores, supercenters, neighborhood markets, and membership warehouse clubs. Its business includes Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam’s Club.
The company sells groceries and a broad range of general merchandise, including apparel, electronics, household goods, and health and wellness products. Walmart also serves customers through e-commerce, with services such as order pickup and delivery.
Founded by Sam Walton in 1962, Walmart is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas.
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