Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Upgraded at Argus

Argus upgraded shares of Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) to a strong-buy rating in a research note published on Wednesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

WMT has been the topic of several other research reports. Tigress Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $140.00 price target (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $132.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Truist Financial set a $127.00 price objective on Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $132.53.

Walmart Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $122.99 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm has a market cap of $980.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.89, a P/E/G ratio of 5.07 and a beta of 0.65. Walmart has a 12 month low of $79.81 and a 12 month high of $134.69. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $119.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $109.26.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.66 earnings per share. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Walmart will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Investors of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a $0.2475 dividend. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.87%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.83, for a total value of $2,171,291.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,315,333 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $482,583,689.39. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $61,962,034.28. This trade represents a 3.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 211,696 shares of company stock worth $25,176,467. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $49,015,626,000 after purchasing an additional 4,304,436 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in Walmart by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $19,046,104,000 after buying an additional 2,242,364 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $11,426,753,000 after acquiring an additional 6,517,394 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $6,458,529,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,626,852 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,526,238,000 after purchasing an additional 328,229 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management highlights AI/automation and faster e‑commerce growth, which should support margin and productivity improvements over time. The future of retail is AI
• Positive Sentiment: Several brokers raised price targets or reaffirmed buy/outperform calls (Telsey, BTIG, Truist), which provides near‑term support and buyer interest. Telsey raises target
• Positive Sentiment: Board boosted shareholder returns — annual dividend raised to $0.99 and the company has been authorizing buybacks, which underpins cash‑return support. Dividend increase press release
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional activity shows accumulation in recent quarters and some technical analysts view the current pullback as a buying opportunity around $120–$110. That can stabilize downside but may not trigger an immediate rally. MarketBeat buy thesis
• Neutral Sentiment: An EVP sold a small block (1,255 shares) disclosed on a Form 4 — immaterial relative to his total holdings and likely routine liquidity. SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance disappointed — FY‑2027 EPS and Q1 guidance came in below consensus and management used cautious language; this guidance miss is the primary driver of today’s selloff. Q4 press release / slides
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns and bearish commentary argue that expected operating‑income gains don’t fully justify high multiples, prompting some investors to trim positions. Seeking Alpha valuation critique
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive narrative: Amazon now surpasses Walmart in annual revenue — symbolic but it focuses investor attention on competitive pressure and growth strategy execution. Amazon surpasses Walmart
• Negative Sentiment: Limited analyst downgrades (HSBC cut to Hold) add to selling pressure from cautious funds. WMT Downgrade video

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.