Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Trading Down 1.8% – Should You Sell?

by · The Cerbat Gem

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT – Get Free Report)’s share price was down 1.8% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $126.22 and last traded at $126.8170. Approximately 13,862,233 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 53% from the average daily volume of 29,599,730 shares. The stock had previously closed at $129.13.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on WMT shares. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $150.00 price target on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Tigress Financial set a $150.00 price target on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $138.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $145.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $137.12.

Check Out Our Latest Report on WMT

Walmart Stock Down 1.8%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $125.71 and its 200-day moving average is $114.92. The firm has a market cap of $1.01 trillion, a PE ratio of 46.28, a P/E/G ratio of 4.74 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.66 earnings per share. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.2475 per share. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is 36.13%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total transaction of $2,313,804.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 4,274,856 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $509,434,589.52. This represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Donna Morris sold 76,181 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.79, for a total transaction of $9,430,445.99. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 402,072 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,772,492.88. This represents a 15.93% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 274,278 shares of company stock worth $33,825,793 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

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

Walmart Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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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