Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Stock Price Up 3.5% - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Walmart shares climbed 3.5% to $129.17 in mid-day trading, with volume 18% above its average.
• The company’s latest quarter beat estimates: EPS was $0.81 versus $0.74 expected, while revenue rose 5.9% year over year to $187.94 billion. Analysts’ average rating is “Buy,” with a $132.41 average price target.
• Valuation and strategic risks remain: Walmart trades at roughly 47 times earnings, and reports warn that AI shopping agents could pressure its advertising business. Warehouse automation investment and recent ETF buying offer potential positives.

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) rose 3.5% during mid-day trading on Wednesday. The stock traded as high as $130.94 and last traded at $129.17. Approximately 29,167,069 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 18% from the average daily volume of 24,816,875 shares. The stock had previously closed at $124.86.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart was among retailers leading a rally following the Democrats’ sweep of Congress. The move points to a favorable shift in market sentiment toward retail, though the article does not identify a specific Walmart-related policy catalyst. Walmart, Target, and Dollar Tree lead retail rally
• Positive Sentiment: Exchange-traded funds bought $152.6 million of WMT shares on Nov. 2, potentially providing near-term demand for the stock. Walmart sees $152.6 million in net ETF buying
• Positive Sentiment: A report describes Walmart as participating in a $6 billion Symbotic deal to automate warehouses. Automation could improve operating efficiency over time, though the headline provides limited details about costs and expected returns. Walmart in $6B Symbotic deal to automate warehouses
• Neutral Sentiment: EVP Daniel Bartlett sold 3,346 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, while retaining more than 615,000 shares. The planned, relatively small sale is not necessarily a signal about the company’s outlook. Walmart EVP sells shares
• Negative Sentiment: AI shopping agents could threaten Walmart’s lucrative advertising business and the customer data that supports it, creating a strategic challenge as retailers adapt their websites for agent-led shopping. AI shopping agents could threaten Walmart’s ad business
• Negative Sentiment: Commentary flags WMT’s high valuation—around 45 times earnings—and the possibility that management’s prior warning of a slowdown could weigh on investor expectations ahead of its next report. Should you buy Walmart stock before Nov. 19?

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on WMT shares. Freedom Broker raised Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Oppenheimer reissued a "market perform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $130.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Tigress Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $155.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, August 31st. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $130.00 target price (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $132.41.

Walmart Trading Up 3.5%

The business's 50-day moving average price is $111.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $118.46. The company has a market cap of $1.02 trillion, a P/E ratio of 46.63, a P/E/G ratio of 4.61 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, CEO John Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.60, for a total value of $1,582,875.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 634,790 shares of the company's stock, valued at $76,555,674. This represents a 2.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Daniel Bartlett sold 3,346 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.51, for a total transaction of $416,610.46. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 615,013 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,575,268.63. This represents a 0.54% 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. Insiders sold a total of 268,222 shares of company stock worth $31,604,051 over the last three months. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its holdings in Walmart by 6.8% during the third quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 2,326,227 shares of the retailer's stock worth $241,742,000 after buying an additional 148,190 shares during the period. Allen Investment Management LLC grew its position in Walmart by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Allen Investment Management LLC now owns 180,953 shares of the retailer's stock worth $18,806,000 after purchasing an additional 2,285 shares during the last quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 18.0% in the third quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC now owns 19,067 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,981,000 after buying an additional 2,906 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 168,325 shares of the retailer's stock worth $17,492,000 after acquiring an additional 4,427 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tamar Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 5.6% during the third quarter. Tamar Securities LLC now owns 4,754 shares of the retailer's stock worth $494,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Walmart

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.

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