Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Key Points

• Walmart updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance, projecting an earnings per share range of 2.520-2.620, slightly below the consensus estimate of 2.617.
• The company also issued revenue guidance of $703.2 billion-$709.9 billion, exceeding the consensus estimate of $706.2 billion.
• Walmart's recent insider transactions revealed executive sales totaling over $8 million in shares, with a 0.10% ownership among company insiders.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 2.520-2.620 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 2.617. The company issued revenue guidance of $703.2 billion-$709.9 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $706.2 billion. Walmart also updated its Q3 2026 guidance to 0.580-0.600 EPS.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WMT. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, June 9th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $110.00 price target (up from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $109.89.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $102.3860 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.22. The company has a market capitalization of $817.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.75, a P/E/G ratio of 4.86 and a beta of 0.66. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $97.88 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $95.67. Walmart has a one year low of $74.59 and a one year high of $105.30.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. This represents a yield of 90.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is currently 40.17%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.14, for a total value of $1,248,712.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 932,313 shares in the company, valued at $88,700,258.82. This represents a 1.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,760 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.77, for a total transaction of $166,795.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 650,977 shares in the company, valued at $61,693,090.29. This represents a 0.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 84,841 shares of company stock worth $8,161,365. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Caxton Associates LLP bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the second quarter valued at approximately $674,000. Evergreen Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 9.7% during the second quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 49,770 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,867,000 after acquiring an additional 4,400 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Investment Advisors MI raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.6% in the second quarter. Strategic Investment Advisors MI now owns 13,567 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,327,000 after buying an additional 348 shares during the last quarter. High Falls Advisors Inc raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 39.2% in the second quarter. High Falls Advisors Inc now owns 7,118 shares of the retailer's stock worth $696,000 after buying an additional 2,006 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 16.0% in the second quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 409,060 shares of the retailer's stock worth $40,079,000 after buying an additional 56,374 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently 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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