Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts remain broadly bullish: Walmart has a “Moderate Buy” consensus from 37 analysts, including 31 buy ratings and one strong buy, with an average 12-month price target of $138.50.
• Quarterly results exceeded expectations: Adjusted EPS came in at $0.81 versus the $0.74 consensus, while revenue rose 5.9% year over year to $187.94 billion. E-commerce, advertising and membership revenue posted strong growth.
• Forward concerns pressured the stock: U.S. comparable sales growth missed expectations, and third-quarter EPS and revenue guidance fell below consensus estimates. Walmart shares opened at $103.84, below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages.

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the thirty-seven analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have given a hold recommendation, thirty-one have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $138.50.

A number of research firms have recently commented on WMT. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday. Erste Group Bank downgraded Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, June 5th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $137.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, August 12th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total value of $1,435,203.96. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 125,067 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,985,527.94. This trade represents a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible 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 Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.63, for a total value of $2,303,320.08. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,174,579 shares of the company's stock, valued at $495,230,306.77. This 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. Insiders have sold a total of 54,164 shares of company stock worth $6,389,402 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of WMT. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 28.8% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $8,868,000 after buying an additional 21,939 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $800,000 after purchasing an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Wealth Management raised its position in Walmart by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Peterson Wealth Management now owns 50,307 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,416,000 after purchasing an additional 1,715 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 0.9% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 13,008 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,272,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its stake in Walmart by 1.2% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 91,341 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,931,000 after purchasing an additional 1,048 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ WMT opened at $103.84 on Friday. The company's 50 day moving average is $113.69 and its 200-day moving average is $121.39. Walmart has a 12-month low of $95.42 and a 12-month high of $135.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The firm has a market cap of $826.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.27 and a beta of 0.61.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The company had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $186.62 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.68 EPS. Walmart's revenue for the quarter 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. Sell-side analysts predict that Walmart will post 2.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart reported fiscal second-quarter adjusted EPS of $0.81, above the $0.74 consensus, while revenue rose 5.9% year over year to $187.94 billion and exceeded estimates. Walmart quarterly earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Growth areas remained strong: global e-commerce increased 23%, advertising revenue rose 38%, and global membership revenue grew 17%. Gross margin also benefited from tariff-refund impacts. Walmart reports second-quarter revenue growth
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its fiscal-year earnings outlook and expects to use approximately $2.9 billion in tariff refunds to support lower prices, potentially strengthening customer traffic and market share. Walmart tariff refunds and prices
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS analyst Michael Lasser remained bullish, citing Walmart’s e-commerce, advertising and membership momentum, while technical coverage noted the stock had entered oversold territory near potential support around $100. Analyst remains bullish on Walmart
• Negative Sentiment: U.S. comparable sales grew 2.6%, well below expectations near 3.5%–3.7% and the weakest growth in more than six years. Higher gas and other living costs appear to be causing consumers to make trade-offs, raising concerns about the broader U.S. consumer. Reuters report on Walmart sales miss
• Negative Sentiment: Fiscal third-quarter EPS guidance of $0.62–$0.64 and revenue guidance of $183.1–$184.5 billion fell short of consensus estimates of $0.68 and $188.2 billion, respectively. The timing of Flipkart’s major promotional event is also expected to create a sales headwind. Walmart guidance disappoints investors
• Negative Sentiment: Gordon Haskett downgraded Walmart from “buy” to “accumulate.” The stock’s premium valuation amplified the market’s reaction, while rising bond yields pressured the broader equity market. U.S. stocks slide as Walmart disappoints

About Walmart

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.

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