Walmart's (WMT) "Buy (B)" Rating Reiterated at Weiss Ratings

Key Points

• Walmart's stock received a "buy (B)" rating reaffirmed by Weiss Ratings, emphasizing confidence in the company's performance.
• Despite missing quarterly earnings estimates, Walmart's revenue is up 4.8% year-over-year, showing underlying growth potential.
• Institutional investors have significantly increased their holdings in Walmart, with notable increases from several hedge funds, suggesting strong confidence in the stock.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy (b)" rating reaffirmed by analysts at Weiss Ratings in a research note issued on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Walmart from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Mizuho restated an "outperform" rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, September 18th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $129.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $106.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Thirty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $112.38.

Walmart Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE WMT traded down $0.34 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $102.90. The company had a trading volume of 7,498,387 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,571,229. The business's 50-day moving average is $100.97 and its 200-day moving average is $96.92. 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 stock has a market cap of $820.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.84 and a beta of 0.67. Walmart has a 52 week low of $79.37 and a 52 week high of $106.11.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 21st. The retailer reported $0.68 earnings per share 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 analysts' expectations of $174.02 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.67 earnings per share. The firm's 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. Equities analysts expect that Walmart will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.14, for a total value of $1,248,712.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 932,313 shares in the company, valued at approximately $88,700,258.82. This trade represents a 1.39% decrease in their position. The sale 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 Walmart stock in a transaction 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 approximately $106,255,856.80. This represents a 0.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 151,232 shares of company stock worth $15,083,877. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WMT. Access Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Operose Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 319.7% during the 1st quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the retailer's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. PFS Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 267.8% during the 2nd quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 320 shares of the retailer's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. grew its position in Walmart by 98.2% in the 1st quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd grew its position in Walmart by 432.4% in the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 362 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is 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.

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