Christopher James Nicholas Sells 2,900 Shares of Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Stock

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.92, for a total value of $359,368.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 577,853 shares in the company, valued at approximately $71,607,543.76. This represents a 0.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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, April 16th, Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of Walmart stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.72, for a total value of $361,688.00.

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock opened at $120.27 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market cap of $958.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.20, a P/E/G ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.65. The business’s fifty day moving average is $126.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $120.03. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $93.43 and a 52 week high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.66. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The business had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.61 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WMT. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 price target (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $138.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $147.00 price target (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price target on Walmart from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Two research 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.71.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart posted solid first-quarter results, with revenue of $177.8 billion and EPS of $0.66, while e-commerce sales rose 26% and advertising revenue jumped 37%, highlighting continued strength in digital and membership-driven businesses.
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts remained constructive after earnings: Bank of America reiterated a Buy rating and said Walmart is well positioned to gain share in a price-sensitive environment, while BTIG and BNP Paribas Exane also kept positive ratings despite modestly trimming price targets.
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart disclosed pre-arranged insider sales by CEO John Furner and EVP Christopher James Nicholas, but both transactions were made under 10b5-1 plans, which typically limits how much investors read into them.
• Neutral Sentiment: News reports also noted leadership changes, including the departure of Sam’s Club COO Tom Ward and U.S. stores EVP Cedric Clark, adding some uncertainty but not appearing to change the company’s near-term operating outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Shares weakened after Walmart issued second-quarter EPS guidance below consensus and reaffirmed full-year targets that also came in below Wall Street expectations, prompting concerns that margin pressure could continue.
• Negative Sentiment: Management said elevated fuel prices are pressuring both consumers and Walmart’s own costs, reinforcing worries that spending could soften and profitability could stay under pressure in the coming quarters.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Collier Financial bought a new stake in Walmart in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new stake in Walmart in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Walmart in the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Walmart in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

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.