Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Stock Price Down 3.5% After Insider Selling

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT)’s share price dropped 3.5% during mid-day trading on Thursday following insider selling activity. The company traded as low as $121.65 and last traded at $123.31. Approximately 28,540,987 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 19% from the average daily volume of 35,368,293 shares. The stock had previously closed at $127.81.

Specifically, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 486,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $62,203,571.56. This trade represents a 3.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.71, for a total transaction of $2,460,201.36. Following the sale, the director owned 4,023,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $509,780,812.39. This represents a 0.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on WMT shares. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 price target on Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. CICC Research assumed coverage on Walmart in a report on Friday, December 26th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $125.00 price target for the company. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $135.76.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: OpenAI reportedly pulling back on direct purchases in ChatGPT could send more checkout traffic to retailer apps, giving Walmart’s commerce and app ecosystem an advantage. ChatGPT’s Retail Retreat Hands Walmart An AI Advantage: Analyst
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary and re‑rated fair‑value models are lifting the tech/AI narrative around Walmart, producing higher price targets and supporting upside expectations from investors focused on digital and ads monetization. How Walmart (WMT) Is Rewriting Its Story With Tech, AI And A Richer Valuation Debate
• Positive Sentiment: Company execution reminders — new store formats and ongoing omnichannel growth — reinforce the core retail case that underpins earnings stability. Walmart Opens Next Generation Supercenter in The Villages
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention is high — search and readership spikes (Zacks/Yahoo) and conference transcripts give analysts more to parse but contain no single market‑moving surprise. Investors Heavily Search Walmart Inc. (WMT): Here is What You Need to Know
• Negative Sentiment: A reported sale by a 10% Walmart owner totaling roughly $136.45M adds supply pressure and can prompt short‑term negative sentiment despite not reflecting company fundamentals. 10% Owner Of Walmart Sold $136.45M In Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Analyses highlight a cautious forward outlook and attention to a ~$100M regulatory settlement tied to the Spark Driver program — both factors that pressured the stock in recent sessions. Walmart slides as cautious outlook and regulatory settlement weigh on sentiment
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing tariff and import risks remain a margin headwind risk given Walmart’s large import footprint; rising trade frictions could pressure costs if not passed to customers. Walmart: Navigating A Bumpy Tariff Environment

Walmart Trading Up 0.4%

The company has a market capitalization of $986.71 billion, a PE ratio of 45.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.59 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The company’s fifty day moving average is $121.87 and its 200-day moving average is $110.93.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.66 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. 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, analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a $0.2475 dividend. The ex-dividend date 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 is 34.31%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WMT. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of 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. State Street Corp grew its stake in Walmart by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $19,046,104,000 after purchasing an additional 2,242,364 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 6.8% during the 4th 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. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $6,458,529,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in Walmart by 0.8% in 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

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.