Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Price Target Raised to $145.00

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) had its target price hoisted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $125.00 to $145.00 in a research report sent to investors on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the retailer’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on WMT. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $115.00 price objective (down from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Oppenheimer restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $125.00 price target (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $120.00 price target (down from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $131.51.

Walmart Price Performance

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $125.67 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Walmart has a 12 month low of $98.88 and a 12 month high of $135.15. The business’s 50-day moving average is $113.74 and its 200 day moving average is $118.70. The company has a market capitalization of $997.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.37, a P/E/G ratio of 4.53 and a beta of 0.53.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $187.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $186.64 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.83% and a net margin of 3.00%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $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. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Walmart will post 2.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.00, for a total transaction of $575,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 110,432 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,699,680. This trade represents a 4.33% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CTO Suresh Kumar sold 166,342 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.21, for a total transaction of $20,494,997.82. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer directly owned 1,632,223 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $201,106,195.83. This trade represents a 9.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 268,222 shares of company stock worth $31,604,051. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Bell & Brown Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the second quarter worth $6,451,000. Advisortrust Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 20.2% in the first quarter. Advisortrust Partners LLC now owns 67,142 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,344,000 after buying an additional 11,283 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the second quarter worth about $7,455,131,000. HORAN Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 55.7% in the first quarter. HORAN Wealth LLC now owns 81,544 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $9,931,000 after buying an additional 29,184 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Park National Corp OH boosted its position in Walmart by 282.9% during the third quarter. Park National Corp OH now owns 119,865 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $12,456,000 after acquiring an additional 88,562 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

Investors following WMT have been watching these headlines:

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America reiterated its Buy rating and raised its price target to $139 from $126. It sees continued grocery and general-merchandise market-share gains, with AI and advertising businesses supporting stronger earnings growth and a higher valuation. Walmart’s AI and advertising businesses strengthen Bank of America’s bullish case
• Neutral Sentiment: Sam’s Club is benefiting from higher traffic, membership growth and digital sales, though lower average ticket values are weighing on comparable-sales growth. The mix suggests momentum, but also a limitation on near-term comp growth. Walmart’s Sam’s Club sees higher traffic
• Negative Sentiment: RBC said Walmart is unlikely to deliver a “significant” upside surprise in its fiscal third-quarter report, tempering expectations for a major near-term earnings catalyst. Walmart unlikely to deliver significant upside surprise, RBC says

About Walmart

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.