Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Trading 1.3% Higher - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• Walmart's stock traded up 1.3% to $107.80, with a total volume of 13.58 million shares, marking a 27% decline from its average session volume.
• Analyst ratings for Walmart show a consensus of "Moderate Buy," with 31 analysts recommending a buy and a target price averaging $112.63, despite a recent downgrade from Truist Financial.
• Walmart's most recent quarterly earnings reported an EPS of $0.68, missing estimates by $0.06, with Q3 2026 guidance set between $0.580 and $0.600 EPS.

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) shares traded up 1.3% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $108.20 and last traded at $107.80. 13,581,636 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 27% from the average session volume of 18,610,398 shares. The stock had previously closed at $106.47.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on WMT. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on Walmart from $111.00 to $109.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $111.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, September 24th. Guggenheim reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $115.00 price objective (up from $112.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, August 18th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Walmart from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, BTIG Research began coverage on Walmart in a report on Tuesday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $120.00 price objective for the company. Thirty-one investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given 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 $112.63.

Walmart Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $859.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.14 and a beta of 0.67. The business has a fifty day moving average of $101.61 and a 200-day moving average of $97.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.79.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 21.45% and a net margin of 3.08%.The business had revenue of $169.34 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.02 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.67 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.580-0.600 EPS. FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.620 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CTO Suresh Kumar sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.47, for a total value of $3,104,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer directly owned 1,787,200 shares of the company's stock, valued at $184,921,584. This represents a 1.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.83, for a total value of $415,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,048,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at $108,861,082.65. This trade represents a 0.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 151,038 shares of company stock valued at $15,249,614. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Access Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Operose Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 319.7% in the first quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. PFS Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 267.8% in the second quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 320 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 55.3% in the second quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 323 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bear Mountain Capital Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 98.2% in the first quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Walmart

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.

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