UBS Group Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Stock Price

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) had its price target cut by equities research analysts at UBS Group from $141.00 to $130.00 in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the retailer’s stock. UBS Group’s price objective points to a potential upside of 26.58% from the company’s current price.

WMT has been the subject of a number of other reports. Guggenheim set a $130.00 price target on Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on Walmart from $137.00 to $131.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Gordon Haskett lowered Walmart from a “buy” rating to an “accumulate” rating in a research note on Thursday. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Walmart from $140.00 to $120.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 target price (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $134.24.

Walmart Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of Walmart stock traded down $1.14 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $102.70. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 21,144,560 shares, compared to its average volume of 25,464,740. Walmart has a 1-year low of $95.42 and a 1-year high of $135.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $817.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.04, a PEG ratio of 4.27 and a beta of 0.61. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $113.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $121.39.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The company had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $186.62 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.68 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 year.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total value of $1,308,670.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 120,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,300,550.91. The trade was a 8.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.19, for a total value of $342,751.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 574,953 shares in the company, valued at $67,953,695.07. This represents a 0.50% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 54,164 shares of company stock worth $6,389,402 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 2nd quarter worth about $7,455,131,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $6,458,529,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 2nd quarter worth about $2,905,655,000. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 188.1% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,199,907,000 after purchasing an additional 7,614,172 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new stake in Walmart during the second quarter worth approximately $796,677,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart exceeded second-quarter expectations with adjusted EPS of $0.81 versus the $0.74 consensus and revenue of $187.9 billion, up 5.9% year over year. The company also raised its fiscal 2027 outlook. Walmart quarterly earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Digital operations remain strong: global e-commerce sales rose 23%, advertising revenue increased 38%, and global membership revenue grew 17%. These businesses are helping offset slower growth in traditional stores. Walmart reports revenue growth
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart plans to use approximately $2.9 billion in tariff refunds to support price reductions, potentially strengthening its value proposition and customer traffic. The company will also begin accepting Apple Pay and Google Pay at Walmart and Sam’s Club stores. Walmart adds Apple Pay and Google Pay
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo, RBC, Robert W. Baird and BTIG all reduced their Walmart price targets following the earnings release, but maintained bullish ratings ranging from “overweight” to “buy.” The revisions indicate reduced near-term expectations rather than a broad change in long-term sentiment. Analysts lower Walmart forecasts
• Negative Sentiment: U.S. comparable sales grew 2.6%, well below the roughly 3.5%–3.7% analysts expected and the weakest growth in more than six years. Higher fuel and living costs are prompting consumers to cut back and make trade-offs. Reuters Walmart sales report
• Negative Sentiment: Fiscal third-quarter revenue and EPS guidance came in below Wall Street expectations. Management also cited the timing of Flipkart’s promotional event as a headwind, while price investments could pressure margins and profits in the near term. Investopedia Walmart forecast report

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.