Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Issues Q3 2027 Earnings Guidance

Key Points

• Walmart issued below-consensus Q3 FY2027 guidance, forecasting EPS of $0.62–$0.64 versus the $0.68 analyst estimate and revenue of $183.1–$184.5 billion versus the $188.2 billion consensus. Full-year EPS guidance was set at $2.80–$2.87.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $138.50; several firms recently reiterated or raised their targets.
• Walmart shares opened down 0.8% at $114.30, while valuation concerns persist with a P/E ratio near 40. Investors are also monitoring slowing sales momentum, price-cut pressures and recent insider selling.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) issued an update on its third quarter 2027 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided EPS guidance of 0.620-0.640 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 0.680. The company issued revenue guidance of $183.1 billion-$184.5 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $188.2 billion. Walmart also updated its FY 2027 guidance to 2.800-2.870 EPS.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $137.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 target price (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Wolfe Research reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $137.00 price target (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Freedom Capital raised Walmart from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Truist Financial set a $140.00 price objective on Walmart in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $138.50.

Walmart Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of WMT opened at $114.30 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $909.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.11, a P/E/G ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 0.61. Walmart has a 12-month low of $95.42 and a 12-month high of $135.15. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $114.03 and a 200-day moving average price of $121.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Walmart will post 2.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.63, for a total transaction of $2,303,320.08. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,174,579 shares of the company's stock, valued at $495,230,306.77. The trade was a 0.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total value of $413,891.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 630,009 shares of the company's stock, valued at $69,074,186.76. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 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. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

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 Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 188.1% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,199,907,000 after buying an additional 7,614,172 shares during the period. Amundi raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 20.5% during the third quarter. Amundi now owns 23,497,921 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,413,236,000 after acquiring an additional 4,004,277 shares during the last quarter. 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 boosted its stake 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 worth $19,046,104,000 after acquiring an additional 2,242,364 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 95.9% during the 2nd 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source