Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Reaches New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $134.69 and last traded at $133.2760, with a volume of 1529985 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $133.89.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, January 18th. DA Davidson set a $130.00 target price on Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $145.00 target price (up from $128.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday. Thirty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $128.44.

Walmart Stock Down 3.3%

The business’s fifty day moving average price is $118.51 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $108.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.03 trillion, a P/E ratio of 45.29, a PEG ratio of 5.12 and a beta of 0.65.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $179.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $175.15 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.26% and a return on equity of 21.31%. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.58 earnings per share. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,388 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total transaction of $166,560.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 645,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $77,477,040. This represents a 0.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.27, for a total value of $2,445,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 506,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $61,962,034.28. This represents a 3.80% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 227,566 shares of company stock valued at $26,790,653. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Access Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP purchased a new position in Walmart during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.