Shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) were up 3.4% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $117.29 and last traded at $116.89. Approximately 29,878,090 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 13% from the average daily volume of 26,386,971 shares. The stock had previously closed at $113.06.
Walmart News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:
- Positive Sentiment: BTIG Research reiterated a Buy rating on Walmart and set a $145 price target, signaling meaningful upside from current levels. Benzinga
- Positive Sentiment: Tigress Financial raised its Walmart price target to $155 from $150, citing AI-driven platform improvements and digital expansion. Insider Monkey
- Positive Sentiment: Articles highlighting Walmart’s strong position versus Target and the value of Walmart+ suggest investors still see the company as a defensive retail leader with room to grow. 247WallSt
- Neutral Sentiment: Amazon overtook Walmart as the No. 1 company in the Fortune 500 by revenue, a symbolic setback that does not directly change Walmart’s fundamentals but underscores intensifying competition. New York Post
- Neutral Sentiment: Walmart-backed OnePay is trying to expand beyond Walmart shoppers, which could support longer-term ecosystem growth but is still early-stage. PYMNTS
- Negative Sentiment: A class action lawsuit alleging unlawful hiring practices in Massachusetts adds legal and compliance risk for Walmart. Yahoo Finance
- Negative Sentiment: A separate lawsuit tied to contaminated SpaghettiOs sold at Walmart raises product-liability and reputational concerns. New York Post
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several analysts recently commented on WMT shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $120.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. KeyCorp restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Freedom Capital raised shares of Walmart from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $147.00 price objective (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, DA Davidson set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $138.85.
View Our Latest Report on WMT
Walmart Stock Up 3.4%
The business's 50 day moving average price is $125.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $120.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $930.22 billion, a PE ratio of 41.01, a P/E/G ratio of 4.28 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77.
Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66. The business 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 business's revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.61 EPS. 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 research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.
Insider Activity
In related news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total transaction of $1,308,670.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 120,203 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,300,550.91. This represents a 8.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.77, for a total transaction of $167,212.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 635,593 shares in the company, valued at approximately $85,023,275.61. The trade was a 0.20% 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 sold 117,008 shares of company stock worth $14,492,704 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart
Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $6,458,529,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer's stock worth $11,426,753,000 after acquiring an additional 6,517,394 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors acquired a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $592,848,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Walmart by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer's stock worth $49,015,626,000 after acquiring an additional 4,304,436 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
About Walmart
(
Get Free Report)
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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