Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) EVP Sells $167,212.50 in Stock

Key Points

• Walmart EVP Daniel Bartlett sold 1,250 shares on May 15 at an average price of $133.77, totaling $167,212.50. After the transaction, he still owned 635,593 shares worth about $85.0 million, and the sale was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan.
• Walmart’s stock has been trading near its 52-week high, rising to $133.34 on Monday, with the company carrying a market cap of about $1.06 trillion. Its recent performance has been supported by strong earnings, including quarterly EPS and revenue that both topped analyst estimates.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on Walmart, with a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $138.88. The company also continues to attract major institutional ownership, while recently announcing a quarterly dividend yielding about 0.7%.

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) EVP Daniel Bartlett sold 1,250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.77, for a total value of $167,212.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 635,593 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $85,023,275.61. This trade represents a 0.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT traded up $1.89 on Monday, reaching $133.34. The company's stock had a trading volume of 17,175,923 shares, compared to its average volume of 25,997,682. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.06 trillion, a P/E ratio of 48.66, a PEG ratio of 4.85 and a beta of 0.65. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $126.37 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $119.25. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $93.43 and a 12-month high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The firm's revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.66 earnings per share. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Investors of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $0.2475 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Walmart's payout ratio is 36.13%.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s push into AI and automation could improve long-term margins and operating efficiency, with the company using smarter fulfillment and higher-value digital tools to reduce costs. Walmart's AI and Automation Push: Long-Term Cost Advantage?
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street remains focused on Walmart’s upcoming quarterly results, with investors watching for another solid beat-and-raise-style update given the company’s resilient grocery and value proposition. Home Sales, Nvidia, Walmart, Home Depot, Target, and More to Watch This Week
• Positive Sentiment: Several hedge-fund disclosures showed continued buying interest from some managers, including Soros Fund Management and Moore Capital, which can reinforce sentiment around the stock. Soros Fund Management boosts Walmart stake by 45,355 shares
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are digging into deeper earnings metrics beyond revenue and EPS for Walmart’s April quarter, but the article does not indicate a clear positive or negative surprise yet. Exploring Analyst Estimates for Walmart (WMT) Q1 Earnings, Beyond Revenue and EPS
• Neutral Sentiment: Wider market news is being driven by macro concerns and Nvidia’s earnings, which may influence trading in Walmart indirectly rather than through any Walmart-specific catalyst. NVDA, WMT Report This Week, but News on the Strait Is Key
• Negative Sentiment: Some notable investors trimmed their Walmart positions, including Driehaus Capital and Bridgewater, which could slightly weigh on sentiment despite other funds buying shares. Driehaus Capital trims Walmart stake, selling 5,477 shares

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer's stock worth $49,015,626,000 after acquiring an additional 4,304,436 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $19,046,104,000 after purchasing an additional 2,242,364 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $11,426,753,000 after purchasing an additional 6,517,394 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth approximately $6,458,529,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,626,852 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,526,238,000 after buying an additional 328,229 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. BTIG Research raised their price objective on Walmart from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Raymond James Financial reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, March 6th. DA Davidson set a $150.00 target price on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Tigress Financial set a $150.00 target price on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $138.88.

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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