JD.com shares slide on report Walmart plans to sell $3.7bn stake; analysts comment

American-listed shares of JD.com Inc (NASDAQ:JD ) slumped in premarket trading on Wednesday after Bloomberg reported that supermarket chain Walmart plans to sell its stake in the Chinese e-commerce giant.

JD’s American Depository Receipts slid roughly 8% to $26 in the market pre-open, hitting an over two-week low.

Walmart Inc (NYSE:WMT ) is seeking to raise about $3.74 billion by selling its stake in JD.com, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday. The U.S. firm is offering 144.5 million shares at a range of $24.85 to $25.85 a share, the report said. 

The report largely undermined gains in JD shares from last week, where the stock rose sharply on stronger-than-expected earnings for the June quarter. 

Commenting on the report, JPMorgan analysts said the overhang will likely limit JD's share price performance until the disposal is over "but it doesn’t change our fundamental view as JD doesn’t rely much on Walmart, in our view."

Jefferies analyst voiced similar remarks, stating that Walmart's decision does not affect JD's competitive moat and long-term margin outlook. 

But the company continues to face increased headwinds from sluggish demand in China, its biggest market. Weakening sales also sparked increased competition with e-commerce rivals Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd (NYSE:BABA ) and PDD Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:PDD ). 

Separately, Citi analysts noted JD now trades at an "undemanding valuation," though they believe that its stock price "could be range bound near-term."

Ambar Warrick contributed to this report. 

Source: Investing.com