Walmart (WMT) Projected to Post Earnings on Thursday

Key Points

• Walmart is expected to report Q1 2027 earnings before the market opens on Thursday, May 21, with analysts forecasting $0.65 EPS on $174.65 billion in revenue.
• The company recently beat expectations in its prior quarter, posting $0.74 EPS versus $0.73 expected and revenue of $190.66 billion, reinforcing its strong operating momentum.
• Walmart has also set FY 2027 guidance of 2.75-2.85 EPS and continues to draw upbeat analyst coverage, with the stock carrying an average Buy rating and a consensus price target of $138.67.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) is expected to post its Q1 2027 results before the market opens on Thursday, May 21st. Analysts expect Walmart to post earnings of $0.65 per share and revenue of $174.6458 billion for the quarter. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. Individuals can find conference call details on the company's upcoming Q1 2027 earning report page for the latest details on the call scheduled for Thursday, May 21, 2026 at 8:00 AM ET.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The business had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.66 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect Walmart to post $3 EPS for the current fiscal year and $3 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $131.47 on Thursday. Walmart has a 12-month low of $91.89 and a 12-month high of $134.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.05 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.85 and a beta of 0.65. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $126.21 and a 200 day simple moving average of $118.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.24.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Investors of record on Friday, December 11th will be issued a $0.2475 dividend. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is 36.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,335 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.63, for a total value of $166,381.05. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 636,843 shares in the company, valued at $79,369,743.09. This represents a 0.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.72, for a total value of $361,688.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 596,008 shares of the company's stock, valued at $74,334,117.76. The trade was a 0.48% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 167,195 shares of company stock valued at $20,975,804. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WMT. Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $50,000. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter worth $52,000. Chapman Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the second quarter worth $59,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter worth $61,000. Finally, Ankerstar Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $64,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s restructuring appears aimed at streamlining operations and improving coordination across tech and AI teams, which could boost efficiency and profitability if executed well.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary ahead of earnings remains constructive, with reports highlighting Walmart’s strong earnings-surprise track record and arguing that its premium valuation is justified by growth and execution.
• Positive Sentiment: Pre-earnings research from major analysts has reiterated favorable views on Walmart, suggesting expectations remain high heading into the company’s quarterly report.
• Neutral Sentiment: The job cuts were reported to be part of an internal reorganization rather than a direct response to AI replacing workers, which limits the read-through to near-term fundamentals. Walmart lays off or relocates about 1,000 corporate workers, WSJ reports
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles also framed the move as a broader digital-transformation effort, but the actual earnings impact is still unclear until Walmart reports results and guidance.
• Negative Sentiment: Layoffs can sometimes signal management caution or cost pressure, and investor reaction may be tempered by the fact that Walmart’s shares already trade at a premium valuation ahead of earnings.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. DA Davidson set a $150.00 price objective on Walmart and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, April 20th. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $130.00 target price (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. BTIG Research increased their target price on Walmart from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $138.67.

About Walmart

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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