Truist Financial Raises Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Price Target to $139.00

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) had its target price upped by equities researchers at Truist Financial from $127.00 to $139.00 in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the retailer’s stock. Truist Financial’s price target points to a potential upside of 13.78% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research firms have also commented on WMT. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, January 18th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $147.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $138.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 price objective (up from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $138.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $132.00.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock traded down $2.70 on Friday, hitting $122.17. The company had a trading volume of 13,207,376 shares, compared to its average volume of 38,633,836. Walmart has a twelve month low of $79.81 and a twelve month high of $134.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm has a market cap of $973.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.99 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $119.24 and a 200-day moving average price of $109.09.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 21.31% and a net margin of 3.26%.The company had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $188.37 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.66 earnings per share. Walmart’s quarterly revenue 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, equities research analysts predict that Walmart 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 1,255 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.21, for a total value of $167,178.55. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 586,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $78,104,886.09. This trade represents a 0.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Donna Morris sold 76,181 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.79, for a total transaction of $9,430,445.99. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 402,072 shares in the company, valued at $49,772,492.88. This represents a 15.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 211,696 shares of company stock valued at $25,176,467. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Access Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and operational strength — Walmart reported $0.74 EPS and $190.7B revenue (both modestly ahead of estimates). Global e‑commerce grew ~24%, advertising rose ~37%, and operating income increased ~10.8%, highlighting early benefits from automation and stronger margins. Walmart Q4 press release
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend bump and capital returns — Board raised the annual dividend to $0.99 (a 5% increase) and reaffirmed meaningful capital return programs (including a new $30B buyback authorization referenced by analysts), supporting income and buyback-driven EPS accretion. Dividend announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades/price-target increases — Multiple firms reiterated or raised ratings and targets (BTIG reaffirmed Buy $140, Telsey raised to $140, DA Davidson reiterated Buy, Argus upgraded to Strong Buy), providing buy-side support and new upside targets in the mid‑$130s–$140s. Analyst coverage summaries Telsey note
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional flows — Several funds have increased WMT stakes recently, which can underpin the stock, but Walton family ownership and concentrated holdings mean moves by institutions have mixed short‑term impact. Institutional stake activity
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider selling disclosure — EVP Daniel Bartlett sold ~1,255 shares at about $133; small in size relative to his holdings and the company float, so limited signal. SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance disappointed — Management set FY‑2027 EPS of $2.75–$2.85 and Q1 EPS of $0.61, below the Street’s prior consensus (~$2.94 FY), which triggered investor caution and was cited as the main reason for early selling. Guidance details
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns and bearish takes — Several op‑eds and analyst notes argue WMT’s multiple is rich relative to forward operating‑income growth (some calls to Hold/Sell based on ~35–50x forward metrics in parts of the commentary). Those narratives amplify selling when guidance appears conservative. Seeking Alpha valuation critique Seeking Alpha sell piece
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive symbolism — News that Amazon surpassed Walmart in annual revenue (largely symbolic) adds competitive headline pressure and highlights how both firms race into higher‑margin services (ads, cloud/tech), raising investor focus on execution vs. peers. CNBC: Amazon surpasses Walmart

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.