Erste Group Bank Forecasts Weaker Earnings for Walmart

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) – Research analysts at Erste Group Bank lowered their FY2027 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Walmart in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, August 5th. Erste Group Bank analyst S. Lingnau now expects that the retailer will earn $2.89 per share for the year, down from their previous forecast of $2.90. Erste Group Bank has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Walmart’s current full-year earnings is $2.89 per share.

WMT has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Guggenheim upped their price objective on Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Oppenheimer lowered Walmart from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Truist Financial set a $140.00 target price on Walmart in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Tigress Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $155.00 price target (up from $150.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.56.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $112.66 on Tuesday. Walmart has a 1 year low of $95.42 and a 1 year high of $135.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $114.46 and its 200-day moving average is $121.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $896.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.53, a PEG ratio of 4.17 and a beta of 0.61.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.61 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly 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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Trillium Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the 2nd quarter worth $253,000. Altman Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,035,000. Clay Northam Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the second quarter valued at $930,000. Jupiter Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Walmart during the second quarter worth approximately $1,317,000. Finally, Vise Technologies Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 2nd quarter valued at $49,287,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,710 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.10, for a total value of $419,601.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 626,299 shares in the company, valued at approximately $70,834,416.90. This represents a 0.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed 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 Walmart stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total value of $1,435,203.96. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly 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. Insiders have sold a total of 71,439 shares of company stock valued at $8,544,532 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.09% 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.