Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Issues FY 2027 Earnings Guidance

Key Points

• Walmart issued FY 2027 guidance below analyst expectations: EPS is projected at $2.80–$2.87 versus a $2.89 consensus, while revenue is expected at $734.7–$741.7 billion compared with $751.8 billion consensus. Q3 FY 2027 EPS guidance was set at $0.62–$0.64.
• Walmart’s latest quarterly results exceeded forecasts, with EPS of $0.81 beating the $0.74 consensus estimate by $0.07. Analysts remain broadly positive, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $138.50.
• Valuation and slowing growth remain risks: Shares trade at roughly 40 times earnings, while moderating same-store sales and price cuts could pressure margins if higher-margin advertising and e-commerce growth do not offset the impact.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) updated its FY 2027 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided EPS guidance of 2.800-2.870 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 2.890. The company issued revenue guidance of $734.7 billion-$741.7 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $751.8 billion. Walmart also updated its Q3 2027 guidance to 0.620-0.640 EPS.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on WMT. KeyCorp reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $142.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $150.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $138.50.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT stock opened at $114.30 on Thursday. Walmart has a 12-month low of $95.42 and a 12-month high of $135.15. The business has a 50 day moving average of $114.03 and a 200-day moving average of $121.49. 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 $909.61 billion, a PE ratio of 40.11, a P/E/G ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 0.61.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.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, sell-side analysts expect that Walmart will post 2.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total value of $413,891.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 630,009 shares in the company, valued at $69,074,186.76. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.19, for a total value of $342,751.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 574,953 shares in the company, valued at $67,953,695.07. The trade was a 0.50% 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 54,164 shares of company stock valued at $6,389,402 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s long record of revenue beats and solid e-commerce momentum could support an earnings surprise. Analysts expect approximately $0.73 in adjusted EPS and nearly $185 billion in revenue, representing more than 5% year-over-year sales growth. Walmart Q2 Preview
• Positive Sentiment: Higher-margin businesses, particularly Walmart Connect advertising and e-commerce, are expected to help offset the cost of competitive pricing and delivery investments. DA Davidson also reiterated a Buy rating. Walmart Advertising Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Options traders are anticipating a sizable post-earnings move, making the results and management’s updated outlook more important than the headline quarterly figures. Expected Walmart Earnings Move
• Negative Sentiment: Investor caution reflects Walmart’s previously weaker-than-expected full-year outlook, moderating same-store sales momentum and thousands of price cuts intended to protect customer traffic. Slower sales growth could pressure margins if advertising and other higher-profit businesses do not compensate. Walmart Sales Growth Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation is another headwind: Walmart trades at roughly 40 times earnings, leaving limited room for disappointment. Analysts and market data have flagged downside risk if guidance remains cautious or the earnings report fails to exceed elevated expectations. Walmart Valuation Concern

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 188.1% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,199,907,000 after acquiring an additional 7,614,172 shares during the period. Amundi grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 20.5% in the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 23,497,921 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,413,236,000 after acquiring an additional 4,004,277 shares during the period. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 1,991.9% in the second quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 2,549,719 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $249,312,000 after acquiring an additional 2,427,834 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Walmart by 1.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $19,046,104,000 after buying an additional 2,242,364 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 95.9% during the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 4,050,053 shares of the retailer's stock worth $396,018,000 after purchasing an additional 1,982,295 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Company Profile

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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