Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Stock Jumps 2.2% – What’s Next?

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT)’s share price shot up 2.2% on Thursday. The stock traded as high as $111.13 and last traded at $110.56. Approximately 23,606,298 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 7% from the average session volume of 25,249,576 shares. The stock had previously closed at $108.16.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Faster Walmart+ fulfillment could support holiday sales. Walmart’s new Express Pickup service promises eligible orders ready for curbside collection in as little as one hour. Combined with its “Shop to Light” in-store navigation tool, the rollout may increase Walmart+ engagement, convenience, and customer retention during the important holiday season. Walmart’s One-Hour Express Pickup Push Could Be a Game Changer
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart Connect is expanding beyond Walmart-owned media. Partnerships with Warner Bros. Discovery, Spotify, and Yahoo will allow advertisers to use Walmart shopper data across connected television, streaming audio, and other third-party platforms. Broader reach and measurable advertising campaigns could accelerate the company’s higher-margin retail-media business. How Is Walmart Turning Shopper Data Into a Bigger Advertising Business?
• Positive Sentiment: Participation in an AI-agent protocol may improve Walmart’s digital capabilities. Walmart is working with Meta, Sierra, Shopify, Stripe, and others on a standard that would let consumers’ AI agents interact directly with businesses. The initiative could eventually streamline shopping, customer service, and transactions, though commercial benefits are still developing. Meta and Sierra Launch Protocol for AI Agents
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is being used as an example of long-term retail compounding. A market commentary comparing Casey’s General Stores with Walmart’s 1988 profile highlights Walmart’s historical expansion, but it does not provide a new company-specific catalyst or estimate for WMT. Only 20 Stocks Are Holding Up the Market: 3 Bargains Outside AI
• Negative Sentiment: High interest rates could pressure consumers and Walmart’s valuation. Broader concerns about borrowing costs above 5% raise the risk of weaker discretionary spending and tighter financial conditions. Walmart’s defensive, value-oriented business may be relatively resilient, but its premium earnings multiple leaves less room for disappointment. America Got Addicted to Cheap Money

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on WMT. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Walmart from $140.00 to $120.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $130.00 price target (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Guggenheim set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $131.74.

Walmart Trading Up 2.2%

The company has a 50-day moving average price of $108.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $116.55. The stock has a market cap of $877.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.91, a P/E/G ratio of 4.09 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a net margin of 3.00% and a return on equity of 21.83%. The company had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $186.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.68 earnings per share. Walmart’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, research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP Christopher Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.65, for a total value of $309,285.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 566,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $60,390,882.45. This trade represents a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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 that occurred on Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.35, for a total value of $5,335,345.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 201,672 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,246,145.20. This trade represents a 20.07% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 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. Insiders sold a total of 81,219 shares of company stock valued at $8,604,429 in the last quarter. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WMT. MFA Wealth Services grew its position in shares of Walmart by 0.7% in the first quarter. MFA Wealth Services now owns 10,909 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,356,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Realta Investment Advisors grew its holdings in Walmart by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Realta Investment Advisors now owns 4,089 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $508,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Compton Financial Group LLC increased its position in Walmart by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. Compton Financial Group LLC now owns 2,081 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $259,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. Strait & Sound Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 0.3% in the first quarter. Strait & Sound Wealth Management LLC now owns 25,443 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,162,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. Finally, Lodestar Private Asset Management LLC increased its position in Walmart by 0.9% during the first quarter. Lodestar Private Asset Management LLC now owns 9,577 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,190,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc (NASDAQ: WMT) is a multinational retailer that operates supercenters, discount stores, neighborhood markets, warehouse clubs and e-commerce platforms. Its merchandise includes groceries, apparel, electronics, home goods, health and wellness products, household essentials and general merchandise. Walmart also provides services such as grocery pickup and delivery, pharmacy services, financial products and digital advertising.

The company serves customers through its Walmart U.S., Walmart International and Sam’s Club segments.