Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Trading Up 2.4% – Here’s Why

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT)’s stock price traded up 2.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $116.05 and last traded at $116.01. Approximately 21,965,769 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 13% from the average daily volume of 25,236,686 shares. The stock had previously closed at $113.26.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America analyst Christopher Nardone expects Walmart could return to a “beat-and-raise” pattern, potentially exceeding quarterly expectations and increasing its outlook despite softer spending among lower-income consumers. This provides a positive setup ahead of earnings. Walmart Could Return to Its Beat-And-Raise Playbook This Quarter, Analyst Says
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed its “outperform” rating and set a $137 price target, suggesting meaningful potential appreciation from recent levels. The bullish view supports the stock as investors await results.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s acquisition of Vibe.co expands Walmart Connect into self-service streaming television advertising. The move could help the retailer monetize its customer data and diversify revenue toward potentially higher-margin advertising. Walmart Bets on Streaming Ads
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and investors continue to credit Walmart’s progress in e-commerce, supporting the company’s longer-term ability to compete in omnichannel retail. Walmart Stock: Buy or Sell?
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart and the Walmart Foundation committed $500,000 in grants and in-kind assistance for Spokane wildfire relief. The contribution may support community relations but is unlikely to materially affect earnings. Walmart and the Walmart Foundation Commit $500,000 to Spokane Wildfire Relief
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains a concern after Walmart’s substantial five-year return. A DCF analysis and other valuation measures indicate the shares may be priced at a premium, leaving less room for disappointment if growth slows or margins come under pressure. Is Walmart Fully Valued If Growth Plans Meet Margin Pressure?
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group Bank lowered its fiscal 2027 earnings estimate slightly to $2.89 per share and maintained a “Hold” rating, underscoring limited near-term earnings momentum and valuation risk.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on WMT. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 price target (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Walmart from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Tigress Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $155.00 price objective (up from $150.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Oppenheimer downgraded shares of Walmart from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.56.

Walmart Stock Up 2.4%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $114.47 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $121.59. The stock has a market cap of $923.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.71, a P/E/G ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 0.61.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The company had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.61 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.08, for a total transaction of $1,628,550.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 661,037 shares in the company, valued at approximately $82,021,470.96. The trade was a 1.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total transaction of $1,308,670.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 120,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,300,550.91. This represents a 8.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 71,439 shares of company stock worth $8,544,532 in the last 90 days. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. CFO4Life Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 2nd quarter worth $6,491,000. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in Walmart during the second quarter valued at about $2,251,000. Evolve Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Walmart during the second quarter valued at about $5,944,000. Martin & Co. Inc. TN acquired a new position in Walmart during the second quarter worth about $4,245,000. Finally, WealthShield Partners LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the second quarter worth about $5,613,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.