Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Stock Price Up 2.3% Following Analyst Upgrade

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT)’s share price rose 2.3% during mid-day trading on Monday after Truist Financial raised their price target on the stock from $127.00 to $139.00. Truist Financial currently has a buy rating on the stock. Walmart traded as high as $126.80 and last traded at $125.81. Approximately 25,266,733 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 35% from the average daily volume of 38,954,125 shares. The stock had previously closed at $122.99.

WMT has been the subject of a number of other research reports. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $145.00 target price (up from $128.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 target price (up from $115.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $140.00 price target (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.21.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 4,315,333 shares in the company, valued at $482,583,689.39. This represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total value of $4,158,004.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 533,466 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $65,082,852. This trade represents a 6.01% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 261,903 shares of company stock valued at $31,496,959. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company fundamentals and capital returns — Walmart reported an earnings and revenue beat, raised the quarterly dividend, and authorized a new ~$30B share repurchase program, supporting EPS upside and shareholder return expectations. Assessing Walmart’s Valuation After Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: U.S. segment momentum — Walmart U.S. delivered ~4.6% comp growth driven by grocery traffic and e‑commerce strength, a key driver cited for sustaining FY27 outlook. WMT’s U.S. Segment Momentum
• Positive Sentiment: Market share gain / resilient demand — dunnhumby data shows U.S. household penetration near ~72%, indicating Walmart is capturing share versus traditional grocers amid affordability pressures. Walmart, Dollar Stores Beat Traditional Grocers’ Reach
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support — several firms (Telsey, BTIG, Wells Fargo, Oppenheimer and others) have reiterated or raised ratings/targets, lifting consensus sentiment and price-target-driven demand. Telsey Advisory Sees Walmart Strengthening Position
• Neutral Sentiment: Peer/comparison analysis — pieces comparing Walmart to other retail plays (Dollar General, traditional grocers) highlight valuation and model differences; useful for allocation decisions but not a single catalyst. Walmart or Dollar General: Which Is the Better Retail Play?
• Neutral Sentiment: Street commentary — bank notes and analyst writeups (Erste Group, others) provide context on FY outlook and margins but largely echo existing consensus rather than shifting it. Erste Group Bank Comments on Walmart FY2028 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — multiple senior executives, including the CEO and EVPs, disclosed sizable share sales this week; such filings can create short‑term sentiment pressure even if sales are for diversification or tax reasons. Latriece Watkins Sells 10,000 Shares
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/headline risk — Walmart highlighted a “hiring recession” context and broader consumer fragility in commentary, which could temper discretionary spending and complicate margin leverage if labor and demand trends weaken. Walmart Warns of “Hiring Recession”

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Collier Financial bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Access Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new stake in Walmart during the third quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $1.01 trillion, a PE ratio of 46.26, a PEG ratio of 5.02 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $119.77 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $109.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The company had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.66 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. 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, equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.2475 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.31%.

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.