Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT – Get Free Report) had its price target cut by equities researchers at Citigroup from $147.00 to $132.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the retailer’s stock. Citigroup’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 27.82% from the stock’s previous close.
Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Freedom Capital raised Walmart from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday. Erste Group Bank cut Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Tigress Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $155.00 price objective (up from $150.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Walmart from $141.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have issued a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $132.91.
Read Our Latest Research Report on WMT
Walmart Stock Performance
Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $186.62 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. Walmart’s revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.68 EPS. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart will post 2.88 EPS for the current year.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total transaction of $413,891.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 630,009 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,074,186.76. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total transaction of $1,308,670.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 120,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,300,550.91. This represents a 8.38% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 54,164 shares of company stock worth $6,389,402 over the last quarter. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Walmart by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $49,015,626,000 after purchasing an additional 4,304,436 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $19,046,104,000 after purchasing an additional 2,242,364 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position 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 buying an additional 6,517,394 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the second quarter worth $7,455,131,000. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $6,458,529,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
More Walmart News
Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Walmart reported second-quarter EPS of $0.81 versus the $0.74 consensus, while revenue rose 5.9% year over year to $187.9 billion, ahead of expectations. Global e-commerce sales increased 23%, advertising revenue grew 38%, membership revenue rose 17%, and the gross margin rate improved. Walmart reports revenue growth
- Positive Sentiment: Management raised its fiscal 2027 outlook, helped by digital, advertising and membership growth. Walmart also expects roughly $2.9 billion in tariff refunds and plans to use part of the benefit to lower prices, potentially supporting customer traffic and market share. WMT Q2 earnings call
- Positive Sentiment: BNP Paribas Exane, JPMorgan, UBS, Wells Fargo, RBC, Baird and BTIG maintained bullish ratings. Although their price targets were reduced, the revised targets still imply meaningful upside and indicate that analysts generally view the selloff as an opportunity. Analyst forecasts on Walmart
- Positive Sentiment: Walmart will begin rolling out tap-to-pay at Walmart and Sam’s Club locations, including support for Apple Pay, Google Pay and contactless cards. The convenience upgrade could improve checkout experience and customer engagement. Walmart Tap to Pay rollout
- Neutral Sentiment: Walmart’s electric-vehicle charging network has reached 100 sites across 20 states. The expansion supports Walmart’s broader ecosystem and may increase customer visits, but its near-term financial impact is unclear. Walmart EV charging network
- Negative Sentiment: U.S. comparable sales rose only 2.6%, below analyst expectations near 3.5%, marking Walmart’s weakest U.S. comparable-sales growth in more than six years. Analysts cited weakness in health and wellness, including pharmacy-related demand, as a key top-line pressure.
- Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter guidance was below consensus: EPS of $0.62–$0.64 versus expectations of $0.68, and revenue of $183.1–$184.5 billion versus roughly $188.2 billion. The timing of Flipkart’s promotional event is also expected to reduce third-quarter sales growth by more than 100 basis points. Walmart soft forecast
- Negative Sentiment: The results renewed concerns about a pressured U.S. consumer, as higher gasoline and healthcare costs are prompting shoppers to make trade-offs. Walmart’s plan to lower prices may protect traffic and market share but could weigh on margins if cost pressures persist.
About Walmart
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.
Featured Articles
- Five stocks we like better than Walmart
- Blueprint for a Boom: SEC Clears the Crypto Runway
- Ross Stores Just Flipped the Off-Price Retail Story After TJX’s Marmaxx Miss
- Advance Auto Parts Plunged, But Its Turnaround Is Still Working
- Is Palo Alto Networks Priced for Perfection Again as AI Security Demand Accelerates?
Receive News & Ratings for Walmart Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Walmart and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
