Walmart’s (WMT) Buy Rating Reaffirmed at DA Davidson

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reissued by research analysts at DA Davidson in a research note issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $150.00 price objective on the retailer’s stock. DA Davidson’s price target suggests a potential upside of 31.34% from the company’s current price.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on WMT. Truist Financial set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $135.00 target price (down from $137.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Freedom Capital upgraded Walmart from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.50.

Walmart Stock Down 0.9%

WMT traded down $1.06 on Monday, hitting $114.21. 10,463,455 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 25,051,607. Walmart has a twelve month low of $95.42 and a twelve month high of $135.15. The company has a market cap of $908.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.30 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $114.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $121.54.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.61 EPS. Walmart’s revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Walmart will post 2.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.63, for a total transaction of $2,303,320.08. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,174,579 shares in the company, valued at $495,230,306.77. This represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 120,203 shares in the company, valued at $14,300,550.91. The trade was a 8.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 70,189 shares of company stock valued at $8,377,320. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $49,015,626,000 after purchasing an additional 4,304,436 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in Walmart by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $19,046,104,000 after buying an additional 2,242,364 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in 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 buying an additional 6,517,394 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 2nd quarter worth $7,455,131,000. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $6,458,529,000. Hedge funds and other 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: Walmart’s low-price strategy, including roughly 7,200 rollbacks, is designed to protect store traffic and support market-share gains as fuel costs pressure household budgets. The company is also benefiting from relatively stable spending among higher-income shoppers. Can Walmart Sustain Growth as Household Budgets Tighten?
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s 53-year record of annual dividend increases reinforces its defensive appeal and signals confidence in the durability of its cash-generating business, although the dividend yield remains modest. Walmart Keeps Raising Its Payout No Matter What the Market Does
• Neutral Sentiment: This week’s earnings from Walmart and other major retailers will provide an important read on consumer health, particularly whether shoppers are trading down, limiting discretionary purchases, or remaining resilient. Fed minutes and economic data could also influence retail valuations and interest-rate expectations. Retail Earnings and Fed Minutes Highlighted This Week
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts are concerned that U.S. comparable-store sales could come in around 3%, below the 3.8% consensus, with slower General Merchandise and Health & Wellness growth. Oppenheimer downgraded the stock to Perform ahead of earnings. Wall Street Brunch: Walmart Leads Retail Earnings Week
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart’s premium valuation—approximately 40 times earnings and a PEG ratio above 4—leaves limited room for disappointment. The company previously cited pressure on lower-income shoppers, while its reaffirmed fiscal 2027 outlook of 3.5%-4.5% sales growth and $2.75-$2.85 adjusted EPS did not provide the upgrade some investors expected. Walmart: Earnings Setup as Consumer Tailwinds Turn Into Headwinds

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.