Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Shares Up 1.4% – Here’s Why

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) shares shot up 1.4% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $121.13 and last traded at $120.7190. 22,103,160 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 32% from the average session volume of 32,715,908 shares. The stock had previously closed at $119.02.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 price objective on Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $134.00 target price (up from $129.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $140.00 price target (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, February 9th. Argus raised shares of Walmart to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $135.76.

Walmart Stock Performance

The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $124.08 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $112.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm has a market cap of $962.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.06, a P/E/G ratio of 4.43 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business 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, sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $0.2475 per share. 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 (DPR) is 36.13%.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.71, for a total value of $2,460,201.36. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,023,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $509,780,812.39. The trade was a 0.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total transaction of $4,158,004.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 533,466 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $65,082,852. This represents a 6.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 274,278 shares of company stock worth $33,605,809 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WMT. Fox Run Management L.L.C. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,709,000. CWM LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 24.2% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,175,703 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $121,168,000 after buying an additional 229,220 shares during the period. Neuberger Berman Group LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 0.8% in the second quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 5,091,126 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $497,771,000 after acquiring an additional 42,645 shares in the last quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. raised its holdings in Walmart by 16.6% in the third quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 63,782 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,567,000 after acquiring an additional 9,061 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in Walmart by 2.9% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,010,886 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $104,182,000 after acquiring an additional 28,026 shares during 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.