Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-six research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, thirty-one have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $138.8529.

Several research firms recently issued reports on WMT. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 8th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Truist Financial set a $140.00 price target on Walmart in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.08, for a total transaction of $1,628,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 661,037 shares in the company, valued at approximately $82,021,470.96. This represents a 1.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were 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 owned 120,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,300,550.91. This represents a 8.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 67,729 shares of company stock valued at $8,124,931 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 4,304,436 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.2% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $11,426,753,000 after purchasing an additional 6,517,394 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $6,458,529,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in Walmart by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,626,852 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,526,238,000 after purchasing an additional 328,229 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada reportedly reaffirmed an Outperform rating on Walmart, a supportive signal that may help bolster investor confidence. Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Earns Outperform Rating from Royal Bank Of Canada
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart was highlighted as a wide-moat, sustainable growth stock, reinforcing the view that it can keep delivering steady results even in choppy markets. Top Wide-Moat Stocks to Invest in for Sustainable Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart partnered with ReturnPro to refurbish and resell returned products, which could improve e-commerce efficiency and reduce losses from returns. Walmart (WMT) Partners With ReturnPro To Resell Returned Products
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage suggesting Walmart may be a solid growth stock could keep investors focused on its durable financial performance and scale advantages. Is Walmart (WMT) a Solid Growth Stock? 3 Reasons to Think “Yes”
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are closely watching Walmart ahead of earnings, with previews focusing on what the company may report rather than providing a fresh catalyst by themselves. Walmart’s quarterly earnings preview: What you need to know
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart being one of Zacks’ most-searched stocks indicates strong investor interest, but not necessarily a direct fundamental driver. Investors Heavily Search Walmart Inc. (WMT): Here is What You Need to Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles discussing Walmart’s dividend profile may appeal to income investors, but they are unlikely to move the stock on their own. Does Walmart pay dividends? Its yield & payouts explained
• Negative Sentiment: One article noted Walmart’s extended share-price weakness and suggested the stock could be in a comeback setup, reflecting lingering concern after a recent downtrend. Walmart stock’s extended downturn could trigger a possible comeback
• Negative Sentiment: A bearish comparison piece argued investors might prefer another stock over WMT, citing weaker recent share performance and softer quarterly results. 3 Reasons to Sell WMT and 1 Stock to Buy Instead

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $109.47 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $871.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.41, a P/E/G ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. The company has a fifty day moving average of $116.75 and a 200 day moving average of $122.04. Walmart has a fifty-two week low of $95.42 and a fifty-two week high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. The business had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.61 EPS. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.