Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) Stock Has Average Target Price of $132.41 According to Brokerages

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) has earned an average rating of “Buy” from the thirty-nine analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, thirty-two have issued a buy recommendation and four have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $132.41.

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Walmart from $140.00 to $120.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 21st. BNP Paribas Exane reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 target price (down from $146.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Gordon Haskett lowered shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to an “accumulate” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Walmart from $141.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 21st.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $124.86 on Wednesday. Walmart has a 1-year low of $98.88 and a 1-year high of $135.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The company has a market capitalization of $990.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.08, a P/E/G ratio of 4.61 and a beta of 0.53. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $111.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $118.46.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.83% and a net margin of 3.00%. The firm had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $186.64 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.68 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Walmart will post 2.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart may be positioned to beat its next earnings estimates, according to Zacks, which points to its history of earnings surprises and factors supporting another potential beat. Why Walmart is Poised to Beat Earnings Estimates Again
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s expanded Sparky AI shopping assistant could support holiday sales by helping customers shop and potentially encouraging larger orders. Can Walmart’s Expanded Sparky AI Boost Holiday Shopping and Sales?
• Positive Sentiment: A report says Walmart’s e-commerce sales are growing faster than Amazon’s, suggesting its online business is gaining momentum. 1 Stat That Makes Walmart Hard to Ignore This November
• Neutral Sentiment: CTO Suresh Kumar sold 166,342 shares, and EVP Daniel Bartlett sold 3,346 shares. Both trades were made under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans; the sales may draw attention, but do not necessarily indicate a change in their views of the company. Kumar SEC filing Bartlett SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish commentary highlights Walmart’s high valuation, with one article returning to a “strong sell” rating and another warning that the valuation may be stretched. Valuation concerns could weigh on sentiment even as the business outlook remains constructive. Walmart: Back To The Strong Sell Rating Walmart’s Defensive Reputation and Valuation

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 5,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.00, for a total transaction of $575,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 110,432 shares in the company, valued at $12,699,680. The trade was a 4.33% decrease in their position. The sale 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, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.66, for a total value of $1,399,912.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 647,912 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $69,106,293.92. The trade was a 1.99% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 268,222 shares of company stock valued at $31,604,051. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp boosted its position in Walmart by 1.1% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 188,036,646 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $21,297,031,000 after purchasing an additional 2,107,781 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $7,455,131,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of Walmart by 6.4% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 28,142,040 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,497,493,000 after purchasing an additional 1,681,353 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,905,655,000. Finally, Amundi raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 44.4% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 20,796,957 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,355,463,000 after purchasing an additional 6,393,326 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Company Profile

Walmart Inc (NASDAQ:WMT) operates a global retail business through a network of supercenters, supermarkets, discount stores, neighborhood markets, warehouse clubs and e-commerce platforms. Its stores and websites sell a broad assortment of merchandise, including groceries, consumables, health and wellness products, apparel, electronics, home goods, toys and other general merchandise.

The company organizes its operations into Walmart U.S., Walmart International and Sam’s Club U.S. Walmart U.S.