Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Stock Price Down 1.7% - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Shares down 1.7%: Walmart fell to about $124.57 on Monday with ~14.5M shares traded, roughly a 51% drop versus average volume, reflecting near‑term selling pressure and thin liquidity intraday.
• Fundamentals and catalysts remain positive: Walmart beat quarterly revenue and EPS estimates, set FY27 EPS guidance, and is pushing digital growth via AI (Sparky) and expanded Google Gemini integration; analysts are generally bullish with a consensus "Buy" and an average target of $137.64 (several firms raised targets up to $150).
• Key risks to watch: valuation is rich (PE ~45.5, PEG ~4.7), Flipkart faces fierce quick‑commerce competition that could pressure margins, dividend growth lags peers like Costco, and there has been recent insider selling.

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report)'s share price was down 1.7% on Monday . The company traded as low as $123.95 and last traded at $124.5730. Approximately 14,468,434 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 51% from the average daily volume of 29,376,510 shares. The stock had previously closed at $126.77.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sparky AI gaining traction — app users who try Sparky reportedly spend about 35% more per order and roughly half of app shoppers have used it, supporting faster digital sales and higher customer AOV. Walmart's AI Push Gains Steam: Will Sparky Boost Sales Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: Expanded Google Gemini integration reinforces Walmart’s platform narrative (personalized shopping, instant checkout, ad/commerce ecosystem growth), which can boost long-term revenue streams beyond physical retail. Walmart Gemini AI Deal Strengthens Platform Thesis And Valuation Debate
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade/call: Guggenheim raised its price target to $137 and reinstated/maintained a Buy rating, representing a material upside catalyst for sentiment and flows. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying: Apollon firms increased holdings in WMT (small bump in ownership), a signal of continued investor interest from some funds. Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Purchased by Apollon Wealth Management LLC
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks industry outlook highlights Walmart’s digital transformation and omnichannel leadership in the supermarket group — supportive background but not an immediate stock-moving event. Zacks Industry Outlook Highlights Walmart and Kroger
• Negative Sentiment: Dividend growth lags Costco — coverage comparing dividend trajectories highlights that Walmart’s dividend is growing more slowly, which may disappoint income-focused or relative-value investors. Walmart vs. Costco: One Dividend Is Growing Twice as Fast as the Other
• Negative Sentiment: Flipkart facing fierce quick-commerce competition in India — intensified price and delivery competition could pressure margins at Flipkart (Walmart’s India asset), a regional profitability risk. Walmart-owned Flipkart, Amazon are squeezing India's quick-commerce startups
• Negative Sentiment: Short-term sentiment pieces and “should you sell?” coverage reflect and may amplify intraday/near-term selling pressure even when fundamentals show digital momentum. Walmart NASDAQ: WMT Trading Down 1.8% - Should You Sell?

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $140.00 price target (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. DA Davidson set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating and issued a $147.00 price objective (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Two equities 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $137.64.

Walmart Trading Down 1.7%

The stock has a market capitalization of $993.15 billion, a PE ratio of 45.46, a PEG ratio of 4.72 and a beta of 0.66. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $125.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $115.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. The company 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%. Walmart's quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $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. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total value of $2,313,804.72. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 4,274,856 shares of the company's stock, valued at $509,434,589.52. The trade was a 0.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total transaction of $4,158,004.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 533,466 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,082,852. The trade was a 6.01% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 274,278 shares of company stock worth $33,825,793. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $6,458,529,000. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 188.1% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,199,907,000 after purchasing an additional 7,614,172 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer's stock worth $11,426,753,000 after purchasing an additional 6,517,394 shares during the period. Capital International Investors purchased a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $592,848,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Walmart by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer's stock worth $49,015,626,000 after buying an additional 4,304,436 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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