Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Trading Up 1.9% - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Walmart shares rose 1.9% in Tuesday trading, reaching as high as $120.25 before last trading at $119.42. Volume came in below average, with about 23.4 million shares traded.
• The company is seeing several positive strategic developments, including a planned acquisition of Vibe.co, a 15-year nuclear power supply deal with Constellation Energy, and continued expansion in healthcare, pharmacy, and wellness offerings.
• Walmart also faces some risk: it is dealing with a proposed class-action lawsuit over alleged AI-driven gas price inflation, even as analysts remain broadly bullish with an average Moderate Buy rating and a $138.85 target price.

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) traded up 1.9% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $120.25 and last traded at $119.42. Approximately 23,392,499 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 10% from the average session volume of 26,032,740 shares. The stock had previously closed at $117.18.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart said it plans to acquire Vibe.co, a connected-TV advertising technology firm, which could expand Walmart Connect and help the company attract smaller advertisers while improving ad monetization. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart struck a 15-year nuclear power supply deal with Constellation Energy, signaling stronger long-term energy planning and support for carbon-free electricity needs across its operations. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is also expanding its healthcare and pharmacy push, including Medicare support initiatives and broader chronic-care education, which could deepen customer loyalty and drive traffic. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart said Life Extension supplements will now be sold in more than 4,000 stores, adding another category to its health-and-wellness assortment and supporting same-store sales mix. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Executive Vice President Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The transaction was small relative to his overall holdings and appears routine. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart is facing a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging it and other retailers used AI pricing tools to inflate California gas prices, creating legal and reputational risk. Article Title

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price objective (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, May 7th. BTIG Research restated a "buy" rating and issued a $145.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. KeyCorp reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $138.85.

Walmart Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $124.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $122.15. The firm has a market cap of $950.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.90, a P/E/G ratio of 4.37 and a beta of 0.60.

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. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $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. Equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.92, for a total transaction of $359,368.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 577,853 shares of the company's stock, valued at $71,607,543.76. The trade was a 0.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.84, for a total transaction of $1,638,525.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 674,162 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $84,162,384.08. The trade was a 1.91% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders sold 120,146 shares of company stock worth $14,835,898. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 57.4% during the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 193.0% during the 4th quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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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