Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Trading Down 2.6% on Insider Selling

Key Points

• Walmart shares fell 2.6% on Friday after insider selling, with the stock trading as low as $114.71 and volume running well above average.
• Two executives sold shares: EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares, and Director C. Douglas McMillon sold 19,416 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan.
• Despite the pullback, Wall Street remains bullish overall, with multiple analysts assigning Buy ratings and a consensus price target of $138.85 versus the recent trading price.

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) dropped 2.6% during trading on Friday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $114.71 and last traded at $115.75. Approximately 42,001,619 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 60% from the average daily volume of 26,329,396 shares. The stock had previously closed at $118.90.

Specifically, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total value of $1,308,670.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 120,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,300,550.91. This trade represents a 8.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.63, for a total value of $2,303,320.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,174,579 shares in the company, valued at $495,230,306.77. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $145.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. BTIG Research restated a "buy" rating and issued a $145.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating and issued a $147.00 price target (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. DA Davidson set a $150.00 price target on Walmart and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating and issued a $150.00 price target (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $138.85.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sam’s Club’s Member’s Mark community has grown to more than 150,000 participants, reinforcing customer engagement and supporting Walmart’s private-label strategy. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer said he would buy Walmart, adding to the bullish case that the recent weakness may be a buying opportunity. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: One report argued the recent decline in Walmart shares could be the best buying opportunity of 2026, citing meaningful upside to the Street’s average target price. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are comparing Walmart with Kroger on valuation, but the piece is mainly a relative-value discussion rather than a new company-specific catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage on platform economics and slower consumer spending highlights the environment Walmart is operating in, but it does not directly change the company’s fundamentals. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Reports of executive departures amid Walmart’s leadership transition could raise concerns about continuity at the top. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Articles suggesting Walmart may need to raise prices, along with broader inflation pressure on consumers, may worry investors about traffic and margin implications. Article Title

Walmart Stock Performance

The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $126.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $120.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The company has a market capitalization of $922.64 billion, a PE ratio of 40.61, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.65.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66. The company had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.Walmart's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.61 earnings per share. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $6,458,529,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position 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 in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer's stock worth $11,426,753,000 after acquiring an additional 6,517,394 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $592,848,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings 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 last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Company Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.