Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-three research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and thirty-two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $121.5517.

A number of analysts have weighed in on WMT shares. Truist Financial set a $127.00 target price on Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Mizuho set a $125.00 price target on shares of Walmart and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Finally, KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $128.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.83, for a total transaction of $2,171,291.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 4,315,333 shares in the company, valued at approximately $482,583,689.39. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.23, for a total value of $244,706.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 617,318 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $68,664,281.14. The trade was a 0.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 125,628 shares of company stock worth $13,690,065. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 397,264.9% in the 2nd quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 104,514,912 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $10,496,702,000 after acquiring an additional 104,488,610 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Walmart in the second quarter worth about $5,367,770,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 9,648.7% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,486,374 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,123,138,000 after buying an additional 11,368,549 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 188.1% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,199,907,000 after buying an additional 7,614,172 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Walmart by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 431,817,510 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $42,223,116,000 after buying an additional 5,856,468 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target on WMT to $130 (from $120) and kept an Overweight rating, citing opportunity despite a mixed sector outlook — a direct bullish catalyst for investor sentiment. Wells Fargo Sees Opportunity at Walmart (WMT) Despite Uneven Sector Backdrop
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst write-ups highlight Walmart’s resilient grocery performance (low single-digit comps, fresh-led growth and Rollbacks driving traffic and share gains), supporting near-term sales stability and market-share upside. Walmart’s Grocery Stays Resilient: Is Value the Key Share Lever?
• Positive Sentiment: Several outlets argue the company’s narrative is shifting after Q3 and point to new growth drivers (omnichannel, retail media, and margin levers), reinforcing buy-and-hold cases and supporting longer-term upside. Why The Narrative Around Walmart (WMT) Is Shifting After Q3 And New Growth Drivers
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple analyst/market-note pieces (Zacks, MarketBeat) emphasize Walmart’s durable characteristics — steady growth, a long dividend streak and Wall Street optimism — which can support multiple expansion over time. Here’s Why Walmart (WMT) is a Strong Growth Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical and valuation debates are mixed: some technical analysts see a bullish Elliott Wave toward ~$120, while valuation pieces ask whether recent multi-year gains leave WMT fairly priced — creating a tug-of-war between momentum traders and value-focused investors. Walmart stock eyes $120 as Elliott Wave signals final bullish leg Is Walmart (WMT) Fairly Priced After Strong Multi Year Share Price Gains
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparative and sector pieces (e.g., MAKSY vs WMT, and broader mega-cap roundups) provide context but are less likely to move WMT stock immediately; they mostly influence relative valuation discussions. MAKSY vs. WMT: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

Walmart Stock Performance

Walmart stock opened at $112.72 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $898.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.28 and a beta of 0.66. Walmart has a 1-year low of $79.81 and a 1-year high of $117.45. The company’s 50-day moving average is $109.25 and its 200 day moving average is $103.54.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.31% and a net margin of 3.26%.The firm had revenue of $179.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $175.15 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.58 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Walmart will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

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.