Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Shares Up 1.3% – Here’s What Happened

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) traded up 1.3% on Friday . The stock traded as high as $107.21 and last traded at $107.15. 16,647,802 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 35% from the average session volume of 25,486,074 shares. The stock had previously closed at $105.73.

Walmart News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: DA Davidson reaffirmed its “buy” rating and set a $132 price target, while BTIG Research also maintained a “buy” rating with a $140 target. These targets imply substantial upside from recent trading levels and suggest analysts view the pullback as a potential buying opportunity. Walmart Stock Plunges 10%: Why Wall Street Sees a Buying Opportunity
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is expanding its U.S. tap-to-pay rollout to support Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, contactless cards and wearables. The move could improve checkout convenience and strengthen the company’s broader omnichannel strategy. Walmart Expands Tap to Pay
• Positive Sentiment: The retailer is reportedly adding Papa John’s to its restaurant-delivery partner network, expanding Walmart’s delivery ecosystem and potential customer engagement. Walmart Adds Papa John’s to Restaurant Delivery Partner List
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of Walmart’s fashion-week event and its new pizza-delivery offering may support brand visibility, but neither appears likely to materially change near-term earnings expectations.
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported September short-interest data showed zero shares and zero days to cover, providing no meaningful signal because the figures appear incomplete or anomalous.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts caution that Walmart’s valuation remains elevated, while rising costs and weaker earnings estimates could limit upside. Higher U.S. interest rates are also testing consumer strength and the stock’s technical support levels. Should You Buy Walmart Stock After a 14% Decline in Six Months?

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on WMT shares. BNP Paribas Exane reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 target price (down from $146.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $113.00 price objective on Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Tigress Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $155.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, August 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Walmart from $137.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $131.88.

Walmart Stock Up 1.4%

The business has a fifty day moving average of $110.33 and a 200 day moving average of $118.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The firm has a market cap of $850.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.69, a P/E/G ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 0.59.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $187.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $186.64 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.83% and a net margin of 3.00%.The company’s revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.68 earnings per share. 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, equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Christopher Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.34, for a total transaction of $308,386.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 569,153 shares in the company, valued at $60,523,730.02. This trade represents a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.35, for a total transaction of $5,335,345.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 201,672 shares in the company, valued at $21,246,145.20. This represents a 20.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last three months, insiders have sold 69,264 shares of company stock worth $7,401,242. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the first quarter worth about $29,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Montgomery Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Walmart in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Sankala Group LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Turim 21 Investimentos Ltda. acquired a new position in Walmart during the 1st quarter worth approximately $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc is a multinational retail and technology company that operates supercenters, discount stores, neighborhood markets, e-commerce platforms and membership warehouse clubs. Its merchandise includes groceries, apparel, electronics, home goods, health and beauty products, general merchandise and other consumer products.

Founded by Sam Walton in 1962 and incorporated in 1969, Walmart is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas. The company serves customers through operations in the United States and international markets, including Mexico, Canada, China, India and several countries in Central America and Africa.