Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Shares Up 1.5% – Time to Buy?

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT)’s stock price traded up 1.5% on Friday . The company traded as high as $114.16 and last traded at $113.90. 12,298,593 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 53% from the average session volume of 25,937,365 shares. The stock had previously closed at $112.21.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is rolling out more wellness benefits at Sam’s Club, including Weight Watchers perks, which could deepen member loyalty, support renewals, and boost recurring membership revenue. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is also getting attention for broad price cuts across groceries and household staples, which should help reinforce its reputation as a defensive, inflation-fighting retailer and drive traffic to stores and clubs. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer said Walmart is one of the “greatest companies on earth” and called the recent pullback an “incredible buying opportunity,” helping support sentiment around the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary around Walmart’s health event and its AI shopping efforts highlights longer-term strategic investments, but these items are more thematic than immediate catalysts for the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage comparing Walmart’s AI shopping race with Amazon underscores competitive pressure in retail tech, but it does not point to any near-term operational setback for Walmart. Article Title

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Truist Financial set a $140.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 price objective (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.85.

Walmart Stock Performance

The company’s 50-day moving average price is $120.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $121.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $906.43 billion, a PE ratio of 39.97, a PEG ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.60.

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

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.19, for a total transaction of $342,751.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 574,953 shares in the company, valued at $67,953,695.07. The trade was a 0.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total value of $413,891.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 630,009 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $69,074,186.76. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 104,505 shares of company stock valued at $12,858,514 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 57.4% in the fourth 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 last quarter. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 193.0% in the fourth quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

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.