Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Trading Up 1.3% - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Walmart shares rose 1.3% to about $107.15, while trading volume was 35% below the average. The stock remains below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
• Analysts maintain a broadly positive outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $131.88. However, several firms recently lowered their targets, citing Walmart’s elevated valuation, rising costs and potential consumer weakness.
• Walmart exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.81 in adjusted EPS versus $0.74 expected and revenue of $187.94 billion, up 5.9% year over year. The company is also expanding tap-to-pay and delivery partnerships, supporting its omnichannel strategy.

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) shares were up 1.3% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $107.21 and last traded at $107.15. 16,647,802 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 35% from the average daily volume of 25,486,074 shares. The stock had previously closed at $105.73.

Walmart News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: DA Davidson reaffirmed its “buy” rating and set a $132 price target, while BTIG Research also maintained a “buy” rating with a $140 target. These targets imply substantial upside from recent trading levels and suggest analysts view the pullback as a potential buying opportunity. Walmart Stock Plunges 10%: Why Wall Street Sees a Buying Opportunity
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is expanding its U.S. tap-to-pay rollout to support Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, contactless cards and wearables. The move could improve checkout convenience and strengthen the company’s broader omnichannel strategy. Walmart Expands Tap to Pay
• Positive Sentiment: The retailer is reportedly adding Papa John’s to its restaurant-delivery partner network, expanding Walmart’s delivery ecosystem and potential customer engagement. Walmart Adds Papa John's to Restaurant Delivery Partner List
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of Walmart’s fashion-week event and its new pizza-delivery offering may support brand visibility, but neither appears likely to materially change near-term earnings expectations.
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported September short-interest data showed zero shares and zero days to cover, providing no meaningful signal because the figures appear incomplete or anomalous.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts caution that Walmart’s valuation remains elevated, while rising costs and weaker earnings estimates could limit upside. Higher U.S. interest rates are also testing consumer strength and the stock’s technical support levels. Should You Buy Walmart Stock After a 14% Decline in Six Months?

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on WMT shares. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $130.00 target price (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Guggenheim set a $130.00 price target on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $137.00 to $125.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 21st. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on Walmart from $140.00 to $120.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on Walmart from $137.00 to $131.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $131.88.

Walmart Trading Up 1.4%

The business's 50 day moving average price is $110.33 and its 200-day moving average price is $118.96. The company has a market cap of $850.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.69, a PEG ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 0.59. 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 issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $187.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 previous year, the business 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, research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.35, for a total value of $5,335,345.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 201,672 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,246,145.20. This represents a 20.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, EVP Christopher Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.34, for a total value of $308,386.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 569,153 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $60,523,730.02. The trade was 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 69,264 shares of company stock valued at $7,401,242. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Junto Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 162.0% during the second quarter. Junto Capital Management LP now owns 1,486,891 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $168,405,000 after acquiring an additional 919,346 shares during the period. Miramontes Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Miramontes Capital LLC now owns 17,811 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,017,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Core Capital Management & Research inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 2nd quarter worth about $579,000. Palogic Value Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 2nd quarter worth about $566,000. Finally, Capstone Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Capstone Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 17,435 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,975,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc is a multinational retail and technology company that operates supercenters, discount stores, neighborhood markets, e-commerce platforms and membership warehouse clubs. Its merchandise includes groceries, apparel, electronics, home goods, health and beauty products, general merchandise and other consumer products.

Founded by Sam Walton in 1962 and incorporated in 1969, Walmart is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas. The company serves customers through operations in the United States and international markets, including Mexico, Canada, China, India and several countries in Central America and Africa.

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