Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Trading Down 1.6% – What’s Next?

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) were down 1.6% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $112.99 and last traded at $113.18. Approximately 22,829,674 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 22% from the average daily volume of 18,636,988 shares. The stock had previously closed at $115.06.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Walmart from $109.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Tigress Financial boosted their target price on Walmart from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. UBS Group set a $130.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company set a $120.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Thirty-one research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $119.31.

Walmart Stock Down 1.6%

The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm has a market cap of $902.06 billion, a PE ratio of 39.57, a PEG ratio of 5.32 and a beta of 0.64. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $105.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $101.14.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.31% and a net margin of 3.26%.The company had revenue of $179.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $175.15 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.58 earnings per share. Walmart’s quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Walmart’s payout ratio is 32.87%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.75, for a total transaction of $1,374,843.75. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 879,815 shares in the company, valued at $92,160,621.25. This trade represents a 1.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.23, for a total transaction of $244,706.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 617,318 shares in the company, valued at approximately $68,664,281.14. This trade represents a 0.36% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 158,013 shares of company stock worth $16,657,847 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 28.8% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,868,000 after purchasing an additional 21,939 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $800,000 after buying an additional 485 shares during the period. Maia Wealth LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 8.1% in the first quarter. Maia Wealth LLC now owns 8,021 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $760,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. AGF Management Ltd. boosted its stake in Walmart by 535.9% during the first quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 259,875 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $22,814,000 after buying an additional 219,009 shares during the period. Finally, Delos Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Walmart by 0.5% during the first quarter. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 51,755 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,544,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.