Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Earns "Buy" Rating from BTIG Research

Key Points

• BTIG Research reiterated its Buy rating on Walmart and kept a $145 price target, implying about 28% upside from the stock’s current level.
• Walmart’s latest quarterly results were solid: it earned $0.66 per share, matching estimates, while revenue of $177.75 billion topped expectations and rose 7.4% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains upbeat overall, with Walmart carrying a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $138.85, even as some insiders recently sold shares.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy" rating reissued by BTIG Research in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $145.00 price objective on the retailer's stock. BTIG Research's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 28.25% from the company's current price.

WMT has been the subject of several other research reports. UBS Group set a $141.00 price objective on Walmart and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. HSBC cut shares of Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and raised their target price for the company from $122.00 to $131.00 in a report on Friday, February 20th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 27th. They set a "buy" rating and a $150.00 price target for the company. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Two equities 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.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $138.85.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $113.06 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $125.98 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $120.81. The company has a market cap of $899.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.28 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. Walmart has a 52 week low of $93.43 and a 52 week high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.66. The business had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.61 earnings per share. 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, equities analysts anticipate that Walmart will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the 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 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 transaction 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, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.92, for a total transaction of $359,368.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 577,853 shares in the company, valued at $71,607,543.76. This represents a 0.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 117,008 shares of company stock valued at $14,492,704 over the last three months. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Fox Run Management L.L.C. acquired a new stake in Walmart in the third quarter valued at $1,709,000. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,010,886 shares of the retailer's stock worth $104,182,000 after acquiring an additional 28,026 shares during the period. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $40,855,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners increased its stake in Walmart by 466.6% in the 3rd quarter. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners now owns 13,343 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,375,000 after purchasing an additional 10,988 shares in the last quarter. Finally, King Luther Capital Management Corp raised its holdings in Walmart by 8.8% during the fourth quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 1,415,423 shares of the retailer's stock worth $157,692,000 after purchasing an additional 113,952 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Key Walmart News

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%

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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