Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Given New $146.00 Price Target at BNP Paribas Exane

Key Points

• BNP Paribas Exane trimmed Walmart’s price target slightly to $146 from $147 while keeping an outperform rating, implying about 22% upside from the current share price.
• Walmart’s latest quarterly results were solid, with EPS of $0.66 matching estimates and revenue of $177.75 billion topping expectations; revenue rose 7.4% year over year.
• Despite the earnings beat, the stock fell about 1.5% as investors focused on management’s weaker forward guidance and broader concerns about consumer spending and rising costs.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) had its price objective lowered by investment analysts at BNP Paribas Exane from $147.00 to $146.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "outperform" rating on the retailer's stock. BNP Paribas Exane's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 22.14% from the company's current price.

Several other analysts have also commented on WMT. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $137.00 price objective (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 15th. DA Davidson set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $145.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $138.88.

Walmart Stock Down 1.5%

WMT traded down $1.81 on Friday, hitting $119.53. The company had a trading volume of 9,287,349 shares, compared to its average volume of 26,004,393. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.24. Walmart has a 52-week low of $93.43 and a 52-week high of $135.15. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $126.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $120.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $952.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.58, a P/E/G ratio of 4.84 and a beta of 0.65.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.66. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The business had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.61 earnings per share. Walmart's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 expect that Walmart will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total transaction of $2,555,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 486,764 shares of the company's stock, valued at $62,203,571.56. This trade represents a 3.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.72, for a total transaction of $361,688.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 596,008 shares of the company's stock, valued at $74,334,117.76. This trade represents a 0.48% decrease in their position. 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 have sold 109,983 shares of company stock valued at $13,908,797 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Collier Financial bought a new stake in Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new stake in Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Walmart in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BTIG Research reaffirmed its Buy rating on Walmart and raised its price target to $145, suggesting meaningful upside from current levels. Benzinga article
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s Q1 results showed resilient demand, with revenue of $177.75 billion topping estimates, while global e-commerce sales rose 26% and advertising revenue jumped 37%. Business Wire article
• Positive Sentiment: The company is still benefiting from value-oriented shopping trends, with consumers turning to Walmart for groceries and essentials as budgets tighten. Wall Street Journal article
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart also sought tariff refunds, alongside other major retailers, which may help offset some import-related costs but does not materially change the core earnings outlook. CNBC article
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are reacting to weak second-quarter and full-year guidance, which came in below Wall Street expectations and overshadowed the earnings beat. MarketBeat article
• Negative Sentiment: Management said higher gas prices are hurting customers’ wallets, which could slow discretionary spending and increase cost pressure for Walmart if fuel prices remain elevated. Yahoo Finance article

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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