Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT – Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Buy” from the forty-four analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-nine have given a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $131.51.
A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on WMT. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 price target (down from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 target price (down from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. TD Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, October 30th. They set a “strong-buy” rating for the company. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 price target (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Oppenheimer restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th.
Get Our Latest Analysis on Walmart
Insider Activity at Walmart
In related news, CEO John Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.60, for a total value of $1,582,875.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 634,790 shares in the company, valued at $76,555,674. The trade was a 2.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Christopher Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.60, for a total value of $349,740.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 563,353 shares in the company, valued at $67,940,371.80. This trade represents a 0.51% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 268,222 shares of company stock worth $31,604,051 over the last quarter. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart
Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Stelac Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $152,000. Bogart Wealth LLC raised its position in Walmart by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 74,862 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $7,780,000 after buying an additional 3,334 shares during the last quarter. McLaughlin Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $991,000. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its holdings in Walmart by 47.6% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 1,048,454 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $118,848,000 after buying an additional 338,008 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Heritage Trust Co grew its holdings in Walmart by 1.2% in the third quarter. Heritage Trust Co now owns 149,496 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $15,536,000 after purchasing an additional 1,757 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Walmart Price Performance
Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $125.55 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $113.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $118.66. The firm has a market cap of $996.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.33, a P/E/G ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 0.53. Walmart has a fifty-two week low of $98.88 and a fifty-two week high of $135.15.
Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.83% and a net margin of 3.00%. The firm had revenue of $187.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $186.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.68 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. 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 expect that Walmart will post 2.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Key Stories Impacting Walmart
Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:
- Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target to $149 and maintained a Buy rating, while JPMorgan lifted its target to $145 and kept an Overweight rating. The higher targets reflect analysts’ confidence in Walmart’s growth potential. UBS rating JPMorgan rating
- Positive Sentiment: ETF buying provided a supportive signal: 51 funds added Walmart shares, with reported purchases totaling $99.5 million on Nov. 6. ETF holdings article
- Neutral Sentiment: Sam’s Club is benefiting from higher traffic, membership growth and digital sales, though declining average ticket values are weighing on comparable-sales growth. The results will indicate whether customer momentum can translate into stronger sales. Sam’s Club article
- Neutral Sentiment: A report listed Walmart short interest at zero shares as of Nov. 10, suggesting no reported short-position overhang, although the accompanying claim of a significant increase conflicts with that figure.
- Negative Sentiment: RBC said Walmart is unlikely to deliver a “significant” upside surprise in its upcoming quarterly results, which may limit near-term enthusiasm ahead of earnings. RBC earnings outlook
- Negative Sentiment: Unusually high put-options activity ahead of earnings points to some investor hedging or concern about a possible share-price decline; options activity alone does not establish that a drop is expected. Options activity article
Walmart Company Profile
Walmart is a multinational retailer that operates discount stores, supercenters, neighborhood markets, and membership warehouse clubs. Its business includes Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam’s Club. The company sells groceries and a broad range of general merchandise, including apparel, electronics, household goods, and health and wellness products. Walmart also serves customers through e-commerce, with services such as order pickup and delivery. Founded by Sam Walton in 1962, Walmart is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas.
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