Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Updates Q2 2027 Earnings Guidance

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) issued an update on its second quarter 2027 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 0.720-0.740 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 0.750. The company issued revenue guidance of $182.8 billion-$184.6 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $186.2 billion. Walmart also updated its FY 2027 guidance to 2.750-2.850 EPS.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ WMT opened at $120.27 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $958.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.20, a P/E/G ratio of 4.49 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.77. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $126.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $120.03. Walmart has a fifty-two week low of $93.43 and a fifty-two week high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.66. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.61 EPS. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Walmart will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. Guggenheim boosted their target price on Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Bank of America started coverage on Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $150.00 target price on the stock. Truist Financial set a $140.00 target price on Walmart in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group set a $141.00 target price on Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.92, for a total value of $359,368.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 577,853 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $71,607,543.76. This represents a 0.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.96, for a total value of $1,600,725.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 687,287 shares in the company, valued at $83,821,522.52. This trade represents a 1.87% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 126,008 shares of company stock worth $15,896,715 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart posted solid first-quarter results, with revenue of $177.8 billion and EPS of $0.66, while e-commerce sales rose 26% and advertising revenue jumped 37%, highlighting continued strength in digital and membership-driven businesses.
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts remained constructive after earnings: Bank of America reiterated a Buy rating and said Walmart is well positioned to gain share in a price-sensitive environment, while BTIG and BNP Paribas Exane also kept positive ratings despite modestly trimming price targets.
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart disclosed pre-arranged insider sales by CEO John Furner and EVP Christopher James Nicholas, but both transactions were made under 10b5-1 plans, which typically limits how much investors read into them.
• Neutral Sentiment: News reports also noted leadership changes, including the departure of Sam’s Club COO Tom Ward and U.S. stores EVP Cedric Clark, adding some uncertainty but not appearing to change the company’s near-term operating outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Shares weakened after Walmart issued second-quarter EPS guidance below consensus and reaffirmed full-year targets that also came in below Wall Street expectations, prompting concerns that margin pressure could continue.
• Negative Sentiment: Management said elevated fuel prices are pressuring both consumers and Walmart’s own costs, reinforcing worries that spending could soften and profitability could stay under pressure in the coming quarters.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $50,000. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth $52,000. Ankerstar Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $64,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth $61,000. Finally, Chapman Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 2nd quarter worth $59,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

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.