Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Shares Down 2.5% - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Walmart's shares fell 2.5% to $106.30, with a trading volume decline of 13% from the average daily volume.
• Equities analysts have set target prices for Walmart between $115.00 and $129.00, with overwhelming ratings favoring a Buy position.
• The company reported a miss on earnings with $0.68 EPS in its latest quarterly earnings, lower than the consensus estimate of $0.74 EPS.

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report)'s share price was down 2.5% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $105.66 and last traded at $106.30. Approximately 16,234,296 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 13% from the average daily volume of 18,635,141 shares. The stock had previously closed at $109.03.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on WMT shares. Oppenheimer increased their target price on Walmart from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Mizuho restated an "outperform" rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. DA Davidson set a $117.00 price objective on Walmart in a research report on Wednesday. Wolfe Research started coverage on Walmart in a research report on Thursday, September 18th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $129.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their price objective on Walmart from $111.00 to $109.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Thirty-one investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $112.63.

Walmart Stock Down 2.5%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $101.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $97.61. The stock has a market cap of $847.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.96, a PEG ratio of 5.05 and a beta of 0.67.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 21st. The retailer reported $0.68 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.06). Walmart had a net margin of 3.08% and a return on equity of 21.45%. The firm had revenue of $169.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.02 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.67 EPS. The company's revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.580-0.600 EPS. FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.620 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.33, for a total value of $222,926.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 621,718 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $62,998,684.94. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.21, for a total value of $2,003,925.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 4,373,576 shares in the company, valued at $451,396,778.96. This represents a 0.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 136,363 shares of company stock valued at $13,668,438. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of WMT. Weatherly Asset Management L. P. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 7.0% during the second quarter. Weatherly Asset Management L. P. now owns 56,140 shares of the retailer's stock worth $5,489,000 after acquiring an additional 3,696 shares during the period. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management lifted its holdings in Walmart by 34.6% during the first quarter. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management now owns 38,213 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,355,000 after acquiring an additional 9,831 shares during the period. Ally Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart during the first quarter worth $2,107,000. Night Squared LP bought a new stake in Walmart during the first quarter worth $1,052,000. Finally, Monument Capital Management lifted its holdings in Walmart by 94.2% during the first quarter. Monument Capital Management now owns 55,004 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,829,000 after acquiring an additional 26,685 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, other units, and eCommerce worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club. It operates supercenters, supermarkets, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs, cash and carry stores, and discount stores under Walmart and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands; membership-only warehouse clubs; ecommerce websites, such as walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, PhonePe and other sites; and mobile commerce applications.

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