Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) CEO Sells $1,638,525.00 in Stock
by Doug Wharley · The Cerbat GemWalmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT – Get Free Report) CEO John Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.84, for a total transaction of $1,638,525.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 674,162 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $84,162,384.08. This trade represents a 1.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
Walmart Trading Up 2.1%
WMT stock traded up $2.68 on Friday, hitting $127.50. 24,729,874 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 28,803,627. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $91.34 and a twelve month high of $134.69. 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 business’s fifty day moving average is $125.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $115.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.02 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 0.66.
Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.66 earnings per share. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.
Walmart Announces Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Investors of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $0.2475 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is 36.13%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several research firms have recently issued reports on WMT. Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Tigress Financial set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $130.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $127.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $137.64.
Get Our Latest Analysis on Walmart
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 4,304,436 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.2% during the third 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 during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 6.8% during the fourth 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 shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $6,458,529,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,626,852 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,526,238,000 after purchasing an additional 328,229 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Walmart News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Flipkart (Walmart’s India unit) plans to enter movie and concert ticketing, tapping faster consumer entertainment spending and broadening marketplace revenue streams in India’s high‑growth e‑commerce market. Walmart’s Flipkart plans foray into India’s ticketing market as live events boom, sources say
- Positive Sentiment: Walmart is investing heavily in its physical footprint — remodeling hundreds of stores (announced national program, plus state‑level remodels) and planning new openings — which should boost same‑store experience, fulfillment speed, and long‑term sales. Walmart is Investing in Stores to Drive Speed, Convenience and Growth
- Positive Sentiment: Walmart is expanding weight‑management and GLP‑1‑related support via its Better Care Services and pharmacy channels — a play to capture growing demand for clinically supported weight solutions and higher‑margin health services. This diversifies pharmacy revenue and increases customer stickiness. Walmart Expands Access to Weight Management Support Services for Customers on or exploring GLP-1s
- Positive Sentiment: Specific U.S. expansion news (Texas store openings/expansions) keeps near‑term growth visible and supports local revenue expectations. Walmart stock in focus after announcing Texas store expansion
- Neutral Sentiment: Brand initiatives — Great Value packaging redesign and branded fashion collaborations — are aimed at boosting private‑label appeal but are unlikely to move near‑term earnings materially. Walmart refreshes design of its private label ‘Great Value’
- Neutral Sentiment: Minor institutional buying: BCS Wealth Management disclosed a modest stake increase — a small positive signal but not a market mover. BCS Wealth Management Has $1.61 Million Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT
- Neutral Sentiment: One listed item (MarketBeat piece about “MAMA”) appears unrelated to Walmart and can be disregarded by investors. MAMA Says a Fresh High Could Come Before Mid-Year (WMT)
- Negative Sentiment: Sam’s Club is moving toward membership fee increases; while this can lift revenue, analysts caution it may push price‑sensitive shoppers toward competitors (e.g., Costco), creating retention risk. Will Increased Membership Fees at Walmart’s Sam’s Club Actually Boost Costco’s Stock Instead?
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.