Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-five analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, thirty have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $135.7647.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WMT. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 price objective (up from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Tigress Financial set a $150.00 target price on Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and set a $140.00 price target (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 price target (up from $136.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP Donna Morris sold 76,181 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.79, for a total value of $9,430,445.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 402,072 shares in the company, valued at $49,772,492.88. The trade was a 15.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.27, for a total value of $2,445,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 506,764 shares in the company, valued at $61,962,034.28. This trade represents a 3.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 274,278 shares of company stock valued at $33,605,809. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Trading Up 1.4%

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $120.72 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $962.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.06, a PEG ratio of 4.43 and a beta of 0.66. 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 has a one year low of $79.81 and a one year high of $134.69. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $124.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $113.09.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The business had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.66 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Walmart will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Walmart Company Profile

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.