Key Points
- Walmart EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares for approximately $308,386 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan, reducing his ownership by 0.51% to 569,153 shares.
- Walmart’s latest quarter exceeded expectations, with adjusted EPS of $0.81 and revenue of $187.94 billion, up 5.9% year over year; e-commerce, advertising, and membership businesses posted strong growth.
- Despite bullish analyst ratings and a $131.88 consensus price target, Walmart faces pressure from weaker-than-expected U.S. comparable sales and below-consensus third-quarter guidance, while its elevated valuation increases downside sensitivity.
Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.34, for a total value of $308,386.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 569,153 shares of the company's stock, valued at $60,523,730.02. The trade was a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
Christopher James Nicholas also recently made the following trade(s):
- On Thursday, June 18th, Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of Walmart stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.19, for a total value of $342,751.00.
Walmart Stock Down 0.1%
WMT opened at $103.70 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $95.42 and a 12 month high of $135.15. The business has a 50-day moving average of $113.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $121.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $825.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.94 and a beta of 0.61.
Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a net margin of 3.00% and a return on equity of 21.83%. The business had revenue of $187.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $186.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.68 EPS. The company's revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.85 earnings per share for the current year.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of analysts have recently commented on WMT shares. Roth Capital restated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on Walmart from $137.00 to $131.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday. Truist Financial set a $114.00 price objective on Walmart and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $137.00 price objective (down from $146.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $131.88.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on Walmart
Institutional Trading of Walmart
Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 57.4% in the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. Sankala Group LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Walmart News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Walmart reported adjusted earnings of $0.81 per share and revenue of $187.94 billion, beating consensus estimates of $0.74 and $186.62 billion, respectively. Revenue increased 5.9% year over year. Walmart earnings report
- Positive Sentiment: Growth businesses remain strong: global e-commerce sales rose 23%, advertising revenue increased 38%, and global membership revenue grew 17%. These trends support the long-term investment case despite slower core-store growth. Walmart second-quarter highlights
- Positive Sentiment: Walmart plans to use approximately $2.9 billion in tariff refunds to help lower prices, potentially strengthening its value proposition as consumers become more budget-conscious. The rollout of tap-to-pay, including Apple Pay and Google Pay, may also improve checkout convenience. Walmart tap to pay rollout
- Neutral Sentiment: Several analysts retained bullish ratings—including buy, outperform, and overweight—but lowered price targets after the earnings release. New targets range from $120 to $140, indicating analysts still see meaningful upside but have moderated their expectations.
- Negative Sentiment: U.S. comparable sales grew 2.6%, below expectations near 3.5%, marking Walmart’s weakest domestic comparable-sales growth in more than six years. Analysts cited weakness in health and wellness and questioned the trajectory of the core U.S. business.
- Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter guidance fell short of consensus: Walmart projected adjusted EPS of $0.62–$0.64 versus $0.68 expected and revenue of $183.1–$184.5 billion versus $188.2 billion expected. The timing of Flipkart’s promotional event is also expected to reduce quarterly sales growth by more than 100 basis points.
- Negative Sentiment: The stock’s elevated valuation increases sensitivity to any slowdown, while higher energy costs and consumer trade-offs are raising broader concerns about the health of U.S. retail spending.
About Walmart
(
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.
Further Reading
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