Walmart’s (WMT) “Buy” Rating Reaffirmed at BTIG Research

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reiterated by equities researchers at BTIG Research in a research report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $145.00 target price on the retailer’s stock. BTIG Research’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 28.25% from the stock’s current price.

WMT has been the subject of several other research reports. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Argus raised Walmart to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $147.00 target price (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.85.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $113.06 on Wednesday. Walmart has a 12-month low of $93.43 and a 12-month high of $135.15. The stock has a market cap of $899.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.67, a PEG ratio of 4.28 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The company has a 50-day moving average of $125.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $120.81.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.66. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The business had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.61 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Walmart will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.92, for a total value of $359,368.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 577,853 shares in the company, valued at approximately $71,607,543.76. The trade was a 0.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.63, for a total transaction of $2,303,320.08. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,174,579 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $495,230,306.77. This trade represents a 0.46% 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 117,008 shares of company stock worth $14,492,704. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Fox Run Management L.L.C. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth $1,709,000. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.9% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,010,886 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $104,182,000 after purchasing an additional 28,026 shares in the last quarter. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $40,855,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 466.6% in the third quarter. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners now owns 13,343 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,375,000 after buying an additional 10,988 shares during the period. Finally, King Luther Capital Management Corp grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 8.8% in the fourth quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 1,415,423 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $157,692,000 after buying an additional 113,952 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Tigress Financial raised its price target on Walmart to $155 from $150 and reiterated a Buy rating, citing the company’s AI-driven platform shift and digital expansion as key growth drivers. Tigress Financial Raises Price Target for Walmart (WMT) Following AI and Digital Expansion
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart continues to highlight operational progress in delivery and tech, including more than 1 million drone deliveries and an expansion of 30-minute delivery to 33 U.S. markets, which supports its e-commerce and convenience advantage. Walmart Marks Millionth Drone Drop-Off Amid Increased Delivery Focus
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart-backed fintech OnePay is broadening beyond the Walmart ecosystem, suggesting a potential new growth avenue tied to the retailer’s broader digital strategy. Walmart-Backed OnePay Looks Beyond Retailer’s Ecosystem to Fuel Expansion
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart’s loss of the No. 1 spot in the Fortune 500 to Amazon is a symbolic headline, but it does not change the company’s scale or near-term operating fundamentals. Amazon overthrows Walmart to become Fortune 500’s top company — ending superstores’ 13-year reign at the top
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary around Walmart’s recent pullback and valuation reflects investor debate over whether growth expectations are already priced in after the post-earnings decline. Is It Time To Reassess Walmart (WMT) After The Recent Share Price Pullback
• Negative Sentiment: Investors were disappointed by Walmart’s latest earnings because management kept full-year guidance unchanged, which added to concerns that the stock may need a pause after a strong run. Walmart+: The Shopping Edge That Leads to 4X More Spending
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that Walmart limited employee access to an internal AI tool also weighed on sentiment, as the move raised questions about near-term execution and internal rollout pace. WMT reportedly caps employee AI usage — stock down nearly 2%

Walmart Company Profile

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.