John Rainey Sells 20,000 Shares of Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Stock

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) EVP John Rainey sold 20,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total value of $2,555,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 486,764 shares in the company, valued at $62,203,571.56. This represents a 3.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Walmart Stock Down 3.5%

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $123.31 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $79.81 and a 1 year high of $134.69. The company has a market cap of $982.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.00, a P/E/G ratio of 4.76 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $121.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $110.77.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.66 EPS. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid 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 dividend yield of 0.8%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.13%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Walmart by 1.0% in the 4th 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 grew its position in shares of Walmart by 1.2% in the third 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 grew its position 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 valued at $11,426,753,000 after purchasing an additional 6,517,394 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $6,458,529,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,626,852 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,526,238,000 after purchasing an additional 328,229 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WMT. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $140.00 price target (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. CICC Research assumed coverage on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, December 26th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $125.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $140.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $134.42.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company fundamentals: Walmart’s recent quarter showed solid top‑line momentum and continued e‑commerce strength, supporting the long‑term retail story and giving investors reason to buy on weakness. Walmart vs. Target: Which Stock Is a Better Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: Potential upside from PhonePe: Reports that PhonePe (Walmart‑backed) is targeting a $9–10.5B IPO valuation could boost perceived value of Walmart’s international/fintech exposure. Exclusive: Walmart-backed PhonePe targets up to $10.5 billion valuation in India IPO, sources say
• Positive Sentiment: Store investment & partner recognition: Walmart opened a next‑generation Supercenter and suppliers (e.g., Scosche) are being recognized for strong partnership — signals that in‑store and supplier execution continue. Walmart Opens Next Generation Supercenter in The Villages, Highlights Florida‑Grown Products
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Multiple firms maintain buy/overweight ratings and elevated price targets (median targets above current levels), giving a cushion for longer‑term holders. Tickerreport: Analyst updates
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor briefing material: Walmart’s Morgan Stanley TMT presentation transcript is out — useful for parsing tech/AI and fulfillment plans but contains no single market‑moving surprise. Walmart Inc. (WMT) Presents at Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference 2026 Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Cautious guidance & regulatory settlement: Market reaction appears driven by a conservative forward outlook and renewed attention on a roughly $100M settlement tied to the Spark Driver delivery program — raises concerns about compliance costs and friction in the e‑commerce/delivery narrative. Walmart slides as cautious outlook and regulatory settlement weigh on sentiment
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling disclosed: EVP John Rainey sold 20,000 shares (SEC filing), a modest signal that some insiders are trimming, which can amplify near‑term weakness even if economically immaterial. SEC Form 4 disclosure — John D. Rainey sale
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/trade risk: Analysis flags tariff and import exposure as a tangible margin risk given Walmart’s import footprint — a policy shock could hit costs and weigh on margins. Walmart: Navigating A Bumpy Tariff Environment
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive flow: Renewed enthusiasm for Target’s turnaround could pull discretionary retail allocations away from Walmart, pressuring relative performance. Target’s 2026 Turnaround: Analysts Bullish as Growth Returns

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.