Walmart’s (WMT) “Hold” Rating Reiterated at Erste Group Bank

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT)‘s stock had its “hold” rating restated by investment analysts at Erste Group Bank in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on WMT. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $138.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 target price (up from $115.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $140.00 price target (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. HSBC lowered Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $122.00 to $131.00 in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $120.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $134.42.

Walmart Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $127.81 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $121.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $110.68. The company has a market cap of $1.02 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.76 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. Walmart has a 12-month low of $79.81 and a 12-month high of $134.69.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total value of $1,214,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 108,294 shares in the company, valued at $13,153,389.24. This represents a 8.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.10, for a total transaction of $1,694,437.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 591,084 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,308,944.40. The trade was a 2.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 279,703 shares of company stock worth $34,140,843 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $6,458,529,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 9,648.7% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,486,374 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,123,138,000 after buying an additional 11,368,549 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 188.1% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,199,907,000 after buying an additional 7,614,172 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $11,426,753,000 after acquiring an additional 6,517,394 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 431,817,510 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $42,223,116,000 after acquiring an additional 5,856,468 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Underlying business momentum and e?commerce strength support valuations — analysts and comparison pieces highlight Walmart’s strong omnichannel execution and continued e?commerce growth, reinforcing the case that WMT’s core retail operations remain healthy. Walmart vs. Target: Which Stock Is a Better Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: PhonePe IPO could be a material monetization path — reports say PhonePe (Walmart?backed) is targeting up to a $10.5B valuation in an India IPO, which could lift investor expectations for future value from Walmart’s stake and international fintech exposure. Exclusive: Walmart-backed PhonePe targets up to $10.5 billion valuation in India IPO, sources say
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish investor write?ups reiterate long?term case — recent bullish summaries highlight WMT’s scale, tight operations and brand strength, supporting buy?and?hold sentiment among value and income investors. Is Walmart Inc. (WMT) A Good Stock To Buy Now?
• Positive Sentiment: Store expansion and new format rollout continue — Walmart opened a “next?generation” Supercenter in Florida, an example of ongoing investment in store experience that supports omnichannel reach. Walmart Opens Next Generation Supercenter in The Villages, Highlights Florida?Grown Products
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor presentation/transcript released — Walmart presented at the Morgan Stanley TMT conference; transcripts provide detail but contain no single market?moving surprise in headlines. Investors may parse the remarks for tech/AI and supply?chain commentary. Walmart Inc. (WMT) Presents at Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference 2026 Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Tariff and import exposure remains a tangible risk — analysis highlights that tariffs and rising trade frictions could raise costs for Walmart given its heavy import/manufacturing footprint, pressuring margins if costs can’t be passed to consumers. Walmart: Navigating A Bumpy Tariff Environment
• Negative Sentiment: Competing retail upside (Target) could divert investor dollars — renewed bullishness around Target’s turnaround may draw discretionary retail allocations away from Walmart and pressure relative performance. Target’s 2026 Turnaround: Analysts Bullish as Growth Returns
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale disclosed — EVP John Rainey sold ~20,000 shares (disclosed), a modest reduction in insider holdings that some investors view as a near?term negative signal despite its small size relative to total holdings. SEC Form 4 disclosure — John D. Rainey sale

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.