Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) CEO John Furner Sells 13,125 Shares

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) CEO John Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.10, for a total value of $1,694,437.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 591,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $76,308,944.40. The trade was a 2.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Walmart Stock Up 2.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $125.81 on Tuesday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $1.00 trillion, a P/E ratio of 45.92, a P/E/G ratio of 4.97 and a beta of 0.65. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $79.81 and a 52-week high of $134.69. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $119.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $109.53.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its 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 the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $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, equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Investors of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid 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 dividend yield of 0.8%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.31%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. GuidedMoney LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $309,000. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,537 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $505,000 after buying an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. Monetary Solutions Ltd purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $183,000. Kera Capital Partners Inc. grew its stake in Walmart by 33.1% during the fourth quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. now owns 11,891 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,417,000 after buying an additional 2,960 shares during the period. Finally, Walser Wealth Management Company A Ltd Liability Co acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $443,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company-level catalyst — Walmart announced a new share-buyback alongside other large firms; buyback authorizations boost EPS potential and reduce share count over time. 3 Major Buybacks Just Dropped—Here’s the Signal Investors See
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support — Telsey raised its WMT target to $140 and kept an Outperform rating; BTIG reiterated a Buy and price-target lift headlines reinforce upside expectations. Telsey Advisory Sees Walmart Strengthening Position • BTIG Reiterates Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Fundamentals — Walmart’s U.S. segment delivered ~4.6% comp growth (grocery traffic + e‑commerce strength), supporting FY27 outlook and the recent earnings beat that investors cheered. WMT’s U.S. Segment Momentum
• Positive Sentiment: Market share/consumer trends — A dunnhumby tracker shows Walmart’s U.S. household penetration rising (reported at ~72%), evidence of resilient demand and pricing/affordability positioning versus traditional grocers. Walmart, Dollar Stores Beat Traditional Grocers’ Reach
• Neutral Sentiment: Street commentary — Additional analyst notes and bank commentary (Erste Group) provide perspective on FY outlook but don’t materially change consensus; they keep focus on execution and margin trends. Erste Group Bank Comments on Walmart FY2028 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — Multiple senior executives (CEO John Furner and two EVPs) disclosed sizable stock sales this week, which can create short‑term sentiment pressure even if sales are often for diversification or tax reasons. SEC filings: CEO Form 4, EVP Christopher Nicholas Form 4, EVP Latriece Watkins Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/headline risk — Walmart flagged labor-market nuances and mentioned a “hiring recession” context in broader commentary, which could signal consumer fragility ahead and temper cyclically sensitive spending. Walmart Warns of “Hiring Recession”

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on WMT shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $134.00 price target (up from $129.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. CICC Research assumed coverage on Walmart in a research report on Friday, December 26th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $125.00 target price on the stock. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $140.00 price target (up previously from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $132.53.

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.