Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Reaches New 1-Year High - What's Next?

Key Points

• Walmart's share price reached a new 52-week high at $106.45, marking a significant increase from its previous closing price of $102.12.
• Analysts have shown confidence in Walmart, with several upgrades to price targets, resulting in a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $112.38.
• The company's latest earnings report indicated a miss in earnings per share at $0.68, below the expected $0.74, while revenue showed a year-over-year increase of 4.8%.

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $106.11 and last traded at $106.45, with a volume of 12566671 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $102.12.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer raised their price target on Walmart from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $106.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $117.00 price target on Walmart and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Walmart from $111.00 to $109.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $129.00 price target on the stock. Thirty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $112.38.

Walmart Trading Up 5.3%

The stock has a market capitalization of $857.11 billion, a PE ratio of 40.45, a P/E/G ratio of 4.80 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $101.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $97.46.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 21st. The retailer reported $0.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.06). Walmart had a net margin of 3.08% and a return on equity of 21.45%. The company had revenue of $169.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.02 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.67 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.580-0.600 EPS. FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.620 EPS. Analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, CTO Suresh Kumar sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.47, for a total transaction of $3,104,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 1,787,200 shares in the company, valued at approximately $184,921,584. The trade was a 1.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.96, for a total value of $403,840.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,052,455 shares in the company, valued at $106,255,856.80. The trade was a 0.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 149,488 shares of company stock valued at $14,917,151. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Weatherly Asset Management L. P. raised its holdings in Walmart by 7.0% during the second quarter. Weatherly Asset Management L. P. now owns 56,140 shares of the retailer's stock worth $5,489,000 after purchasing an additional 3,696 shares during the last quarter. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management increased its position in shares of Walmart by 34.6% in the first quarter. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management now owns 38,213 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,355,000 after buying an additional 9,831 shares in the last quarter. Ally Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the first quarter valued at $2,107,000. Night Squared LP purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the first quarter valued at $1,052,000. Finally, Monument Capital Management grew its stake in Walmart by 94.2% in the 1st quarter. Monument Capital Management now owns 55,004 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,829,000 after acquiring an additional 26,685 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Company Profile

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, other units, and eCommerce worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club. It operates supercenters, supermarkets, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs, cash and carry stores, and discount stores under Walmart and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands; membership-only warehouse clubs; ecommerce websites, such as walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, PhonePe and other sites; and mobile commerce applications.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.