Insider Trading February 23, 2026

Walmart Executive Disposes $4.16 Million in Shares as Stock Sees Short-Term Swing

EVP Nicholas Christopher James sold 34,082 shares on Feb. 20; analysts lift targets amid digital sales strength

By Priya Menon WMT
Walmart Executive Disposes $4.16 Million in Shares as Stock Sees Short-Term Swing
WMT

Walmart Inc. Executive Vice President Nicholas Christopher James sold 34,082 shares of common stock on February 20, 2026, at $122.00 per share, producing proceeds of $4,158,004. The transaction was disclosed in a Form 4 filed with the SEC on February 23, 2026. The share sale occurred amid a recent 6% slide in the stock over the prior week and subsequent partial recovery to $125.81. Independent analysis cited in public research indicates the $1 trillion retailer is overvalued on a fair value basis, even as several brokerages have raised price targets in response to robust digital growth and better-than-expected operating results.

Key Points

  • Nicholas Christopher James, Walmart Executive Vice President, sold 34,082 shares on February 20, 2026, at $122.00 per share, totaling $4,158,004.
  • After the sale James directly owns 533,465.838 Walmart shares; the transaction was reported on a Form 4 filed with the SEC on February 23, 2026.
  • Analysts from Evercore, UBS, Truist Securities, and Barclays have raised price targets—citing strong digital and ecommerce growth and better-than-expected comparable sales data—while some research flags the company as overvalued on a fair value basis.

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ: WMT) reported an insider sale this week after one of its senior executives moved to reduce a portion of his direct holding. According to a Securities and Exchange Commission Form 4 filing dated February 23, 2026, Executive Vice President Nicholas Christopher James sold 34,082 shares of Walmart common stock on February 20, 2026, at $122.00 per share, for total proceeds of $4,158,004.

Following the disposition, Nicholas Christopher James retains direct ownership of 533,465.838 shares of Walmart stock. The sale coincided with a period of short-term weakness in the share price - the stock had fallen about 6% over the prior week - though market quotes later showed the share price recovering to $125.81.

Publicly available valuation commentary included in market research cited the company as a roughly $1 trillion retailer and noted an overvaluation assessment under a fair value framework. That valuation view was presented alongside data on the recent insider transaction and the company’s trading range.


Analyst sentiment toward Walmart remains generally constructive despite the insider sale and the valuation assessment. Multiple brokerages have raised their price targets for the shares in recent updates. Evercore increased its target to $153, highlighting a 27% expansion in Walmart’s digital business and suggesting that the company's guidance of 6% earnings per share growth could be conservative. UBS set a new target of $147, pointing to continued momentum in U.S. comparable sales driven by ecommerce growth at a high-20% rate. Truist Securities raised its target to $139 after noting a stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter showing, where U.S. comparable sales rose 4.6%. Barclays moved its target to $132, citing solid unit share gains and potential upside from modest inflation assumptions for fiscal 2027.

These analyst updates emphasize the company's digital and ecommerce expansion as a central driver of upside in their models. The juxtaposition of an insider share sale, a near-term price pullback, an overvaluation assessment on a fair value basis, and several upward price-target revisions underscores the mixed signals in the market for Walmart shares at present.

Additional context on valuation and deeper, subscription-only research resources were noted in market materials, offering further detail on fair value assessments and proprietary recommendations for subscribers.

Risks

  • Valuation concern: Independent analysis referenced indicates Walmart is overvalued relative to a fair value assessment, which could influence investor sentiment and relative returns - impacting equity markets and retail sector allocations.
  • Short-term price volatility: The shares experienced a roughly 6% decline over the prior week before recovering, indicating potential near-term trading volatility that affects investors in the retail and consumer discretionary sectors.
  • Guidance and expectations gap: Evercore suggested Walmart’s guidance of 6% EPS growth may be conservative, highlighting uncertainty around consensus expectations versus company guidance that can affect analyst revisions and market positioning within retail and e-commerce coverage.

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