Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Shares Up 2.8% - What's Next?

Key Points

• Walmart shares rose 2.8% in Thursday trading, reaching an intraday high of $112.45 as volume came in above average.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with a consensus Moderate Buy rating and a price target of $138.85; several firms recently reiterated outperform or overweight views.
• Recent catalysts include AI and e-commerce growth initiatives, especially Walmart Connect, retail media, and marketplace expansion, which investors see as potential long-term profit drivers.

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report)'s share price was up 2.8% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $112.45 and last traded at $111.84. Approximately 28,211,285 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 8% from the average daily volume of 26,147,357 shares. The stock had previously closed at $108.82.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity suggested traders are positioning for a rebound, with call volume jumping above normal levels. This often signals bullish speculation on near-term upside.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s AI push with Google’s Gemini and its broader e-commerce/advertising ecosystem are being viewed as potential long-term growth catalysts, especially if agentic shopping gains traction.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to point to Walmart Connect, retail media, omnichannel growth, and marketplace expansion as higher-margin businesses that could support profits over time.
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage around Walmart helping seniors navigate Medicare coverage for obesity drugs highlights its growing role in healthcare services, a modest positive for its consumer ecosystem.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Craig Hallum set a $150.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, March 6th. KeyCorp restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price objective on Walmart from $147.00 to $146.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, March 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $138.85.

Walmart Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $122.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $122.18. The stock has a market cap of $890.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.24, a PEG ratio of 4.22 and a beta of 0.60.

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

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total transaction of $1,308,670.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 120,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,300,550.91. This represents a 8.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 630,009 shares in the company, valued at $69,074,186.76. This trade represents a 0.60% 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 104,505 shares of company stock worth $12,858,514. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. MFA Wealth Services lifted its stake in Walmart by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. MFA Wealth Services now owns 10,909 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,356,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Realta Investment Advisors raised its stake in Walmart by 2.0% in the first quarter. Realta Investment Advisors now owns 4,089 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $508,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. Compton Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 4.1% in the first quarter. Compton Financial Group LLC now owns 2,081 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $259,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. Renaissance Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Group LLC now owns 9,636 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,074,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Calton & Associates Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Calton & Associates Inc. now owns 27,220 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,033,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.