Wall Street Zen Downgrades Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) to Hold

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Sunday.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $123.00 target price (up previously from $111.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, November 21st. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $130.00 price objective (up previously from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Finally, KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $128.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Thirty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.03.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $119.70 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $111.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $104.74. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company has a market cap of $954.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.85, a PEG ratio of 5.10 and a beta of 0.66. Walmart has a 12 month low of $79.81 and a 12 month high of $121.24.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.02. Walmart had a net margin of 3.26% and a return on equity of 21.31%. The company had revenue of $179.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $175.15 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.58 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Walmart will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Daniel Danker sold 4,365 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.19, for a total value of $524,629.35. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 238,583 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $28,675,290.77. This represents a 1.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP David Chojnowski sold 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.65, for a total value of $746,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 136,289 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,535,221.85. The trade was a 4.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 135,215 shares of company stock valued at $15,071,810 in the last three months. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 2nd quarter valued at $5,367,770,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 9,648.7% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,486,374 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,123,138,000 after purchasing an additional 11,368,549 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 188.1% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,199,907,000 after purchasing an additional 7,614,172 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.4% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 431,817,510 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $42,223,116,000 after purchasing an additional 5,856,468 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi increased its holdings in Walmart by 20.5% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 23,497,921 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,413,236,000 after purchasing an additional 4,004,277 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: RBC Capital retained an Outperform rating and raised its price target to $126, reinforcing analyst confidence that Walmart’s growth initiatives and margin mix justify further upside. RBC Capital Retains an Outperform Rating on Walmart Inc. (WMT)
• Positive Sentiment: Analysis notes accelerating revenue growth, with particularly strong momentum in e-commerce and advertising — two higher-margin businesses that can lift overall profitability and investor sentiment. Walmart Stock Has Been a Big Winner Recently. But Is It Overvalued Now?
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is improving its home‑goods assortment (including higher‑end items) to attract wealthier customers and better compete with Amazon for non‑grocery spending — a strategic move that could expand basket sizes and margins over time. Can a $1,699 Espresso Machine Help Walmart Challenge Amazon?
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary suggests Walmart could boost its dividend in the medium term thanks to growth opportunities in large international markets like China and India, which supports the income investor thesis. Walmart stock dividend may surge thanks to China, India
• Neutral Sentiment: A sector/ETF piece flags macro and policy shifts that could reshuffle retail and healthcare winners — useful context but not an immediate, company‑specific catalyst for Walmart. Winners & Losers: The ETF Playbook to Glide Trump’s Great Healthcare Plan
• Negative Sentiment: Several filings show large EVP insider sales over the past days (multiple transactions totaling several million dollars), which can create short‑term selling pressure or raise governance questions for some investors. Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) EVP Sells $166,560.00 in Stock Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) EVP Sells $1,574,868.75 in Stock Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) EVP Sells $1,127,862.96 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Wall Street Zen downgraded Walmart to “Hold,” which may temper some momentum from bullish analyst notes and can pressure sentiment among短‑term traders. Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Hold”

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.