Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Shares Climb 2.1% - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Walmart shares rose 2.1% to about $121.25, supported by approximately $36.2 million in net ETF buying and continued institutional interest.
• Walmart is expanding beyond traditional retail through a healthcare services marketplace and three planned clinical-trial centers, while its latest quarter beat expectations with $0.81 EPS and $187.94 billion in revenue.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with an average “Buy” rating and a $132.41 price target, though the FTC’s inquiry into personalized pricing and stronger digital-grocery competition pose potential risks.

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) traded up 2.1% during mid-day trading on Thursday. The company traded as high as $121.72 and last traded at $121.25. 15,762,077 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 36% from the average session volume of 24,817,566 shares. The stock had previously closed at $118.77.

Walmart News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart received approximately $36.2 million in net ETF buying on Tuesday, suggesting some institutional demand and providing support for the shares. Walmart Sees $36.2 Million in Net ETF Buying
• Positive Sentiment: The retailer expanded its Better Care Services platform into a broader healthcare marketplace. By connecting customers with third-party providers through its stores and digital channels, Walmart is pursuing additional service revenue and deeper customer engagement. Walmart Launched a Healthcare Services Marketplace
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart and Care Access plan to add three clinical-trial centers, extending the company’s healthcare footprint and potentially creating new customer and provider relationships. Walmart and Care Access to Add Three New Clinical Trial Centers
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart lowered the price of its holiday meal basket by $5. The move reinforces its value proposition and could support traffic during the holiday season, although it may also pressure retail margins. Walmart Lowers Holiday Meal Basket by $5
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart’s AI training program is reportedly increasing technology confidence among its 2.1 million associates. Improved adoption could help productivity over time, but the financial benefit is not yet quantified. Walmart Says AI Training Is Boosting Worker Confidence
• Negative Sentiment: The Federal Trade Commission ordered Walmart to provide information on how it uses consumer data for personalized pricing and pay decisions. The inquiry could increase compliance costs, invite further regulation and create reputational risk, though no wrongdoing has been established. FTC Demands Data on Personalized Pricing
• Negative Sentiment: DoorDash’s planned $17 billion acquisition of Instacart highlights intensifying competition in delivery and digital grocery, potentially challenging Walmart’s e-commerce reach and customer economics. DoorDash Makes $17 Billion Instacart Bet

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on WMT. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $130.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Oppenheimer reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, August 25th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of Walmart to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Freedom Broker raised Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, Freedom Capital raised Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-three have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $132.41.

Walmart Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $961.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.77, a P/E/G ratio of 4.33 and a beta of 0.58. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $109.70 and a 200-day moving average price of $118.34.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $186.64 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.00% and a return on equity of 21.83%. The firm's revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.68 earnings per share. 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, sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 5,000 shares of the business'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 value of $575,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 110,432 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,699,680. The trade was a 4.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 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 that occurred on Thursday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.60, for a total transaction of $349,740.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 563,353 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $67,940,371.80. This trade represents a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 102,244 shares of company stock valued at $11,112,044. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Trek Financial LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Trek Financial LLC now owns 11,150 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,159,000 after purchasing an additional 563 shares in the last quarter. Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 0.4% during the third quarter. Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC now owns 54,750 shares of the retailer's stock worth $5,690,000 after buying an additional 236 shares during the period. Traynor Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Walmart by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter. Traynor Capital Management Inc. now owns 35,903 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,731,000 after buying an additional 2,489 shares in the last quarter. Dala Group LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 15.6% during the 3rd quarter. Dala Group LLC now owns 2,241 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $233,000 after purchasing an additional 303 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Virtue Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC now owns 8,881 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $923,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Company Profile

Walmart Inc NASDAQ: WMT operates a global retail business through a network of supercenters, supermarkets, discount stores, neighborhood markets, warehouse clubs and e-commerce platforms. Its stores and websites sell a broad assortment of merchandise, including groceries, consumables, health and wellness products, apparel, electronics, home goods, toys and other general merchandise.

The company organizes its operations into Walmart U.S., Walmart International and Sam's Club U.S. Walmart U.S.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.