Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-six analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, thirty-one have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $138.8529.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WMT. UBS Group set a $141.00 target price on Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Erste Group Bank cut Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s ad business, Walmart Connect, is being viewed as an increasingly important margin driver, supported by ad growth, seller spending, and e-commerce gains. This helps offset concerns about retail margin pressure. Is Walmart Connect Becoming a Bigger Margin Driver for WMT?
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is also benefiting from its role in helping seniors navigate new Medicare coverage for obesity drugs, which reinforces its healthcare-related services and customer reach. Healthy Returns: Walmart, CVS step in to help seniors navigate Medicare coverage of obesity drugs
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart+ engagement appears to be supported by popular fuel discounts, which could help membership retention and recurring revenue over time. Walmart+ Executive Says Fuel Discounts Supercharge Member Engagement
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention remains elevated around WMT, with recent articles highlighting the stock’s large valuation and the market’s ongoing debate about whether e-commerce and store investments can justify the premium.
• Negative Sentiment: Traders are selling Walmart after a research note from Cleveland Research suggested U.S. comparable sales have “slowed to some degree,” raising concerns that domestic growth momentum may be cooling. Walmart Shares Slip Amid Sales Slowdown Concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Another note said Walmart shares have fallen to near an eight-month low as analysts flag slowing sales, reinforcing concerns that near-term fundamentals may not match the stock’s valuation. WMT Stock Sinks To Near Eight-Month Low — Cleveland Research Flags Slowing Sales

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.84, for a total transaction of $1,638,525.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 674,162 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $84,162,384.08. This represents a 1.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total transaction of $1,435,203.96. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 125,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,985,527.94. The trade was a 8.74% 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. In the last quarter, insiders sold 100,730 shares of company stock valued at $12,444,624. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the first quarter worth $29,000. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 57.4% during the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 193.0% during the 4th quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Stock Down 3.9%

WMT opened at $108.82 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $866.00 billion, a PE ratio of 38.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.22 and a beta of 0.60. Walmart has a twelve month low of $94.23 and a twelve month high of $135.15. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $122.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $122.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.66. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The company had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.61 EPS. Walmart’s revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Walmart will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.