Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Trading 1.6% Higher After Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) traded up 1.6% during trading on Wednesday after BTIG Research raised their price target on the stock from $125.00 to $140.00. BTIG Research currently has a buy rating on the stock. Walmart traded as high as $129.74 and last traded at $128.77. 19,165,619 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 52% from the average session volume of 40,284,879 shares. The stock had previously closed at $126.70.

Several other equities research analysts have also weighed in on WMT. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $128.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. DA Davidson set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $132.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $140.00 price target (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday. Thirty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $127.19.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP Donna Morris sold 76,181 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.79, for a total transaction of $9,430,445.99. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 402,072 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,772,492.88. This represents a 15.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.27, for a total value of $2,445,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 506,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,962,034.28. This represents a 3.80% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 229,196 shares of company stock valued at $26,957,858 over the last quarter. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raising price targets and ratings — Oppenheimer bumped its WMT target to $140 and kept an Outperform rating, and BTIG also raised its target to $140, supporting upside expectations. Walmart Inc. (WMT) Price Target Increased at Oppenheimer as Firm Eyes Solid Q4
• Positive Sentiment: Additional analyst momentum — Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an Outperform with a $135 target and other firms (Mizuho, BTIG) have issued bullish commentary, lending broad sell‑side support. Analyst coverage (Benzinga)
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying — Fisher Asset Management boosted its Walmart stake, signaling confidence from a major asset manager and providing structural demand for the shares. Fisher Asset Management Boosts Walmart Stake
• Positive Sentiment: Expectations for earnings growth — previews from Zacks and coverage around likely beats/guidance have reinforced a buy thesis ahead of the Feb. 19 report. Walmart (WMT) Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings event scheduled — Walmart will host its Q4 earnings call on Feb. 19; execution/guidance from that call is the near-term catalyst investors are watching. Walmart To Host Fourth Quarter Earnings Conference Call February 19, 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend/long-term stories and sector context — pieces highlighting dividend aristocrats and retail winners (including WMT) contribute to steady investor interest but are lower-impact near-term. 3 Dividend Aristocrat Stocks To Buy for Reliable Income In 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Competitive landscape note — Kroger’s management shakeup got attention this week; a revitalized competitor is a strategic watch but not an immediate earnings shock to Walmart. Kroger’s New CEO: A Turnaround Play in Aisle 4?
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/marketplace risk — Estée Lauder sued Walmart alleging counterfeit products sold via Walmart’s marketplace; this raises reputational and potential remediation costs and keeps marketplace controls under investor scrutiny. Estée Lauder sues Walmart for selling counterfeits

Institutional Trading of Walmart

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $6,458,529,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 9,648.7% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,486,374 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,123,138,000 after buying an additional 11,368,549 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 188.1% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,199,907,000 after buying an additional 7,614,172 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $11,426,753,000 after acquiring an additional 6,517,394 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Walmart by 1.4% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 431,817,510 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $42,223,116,000 after acquiring an additional 5,856,468 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Up 3.8%

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $117.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $108.00. The company has a market capitalization of $1.07 trillion, a P/E ratio of 46.73, a P/E/G ratio of 4.92 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

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

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.