Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Shares Up 1.4% – Here’s Why

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) shot up 1.4% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $120.82 and last traded at $120.59. 22,269,467 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 15% from the average session volume of 26,353,914 shares. The stock had previously closed at $118.88.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WMT. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $138.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 price objective (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 11th. UBS Group set a $141.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Argus raised shares of Walmart to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.85.

Walmart Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $963.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.47, a PEG ratio of 4.50 and a beta of 0.59. 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 company’s 50 day simple moving average is $125.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $121.66.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.66. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. Walmart’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.61 EPS. 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 anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.96, for a total value of $1,600,725.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 687,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $83,821,522.52. The trade was a 1.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total transaction of $1,308,670.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 120,203 shares in the company, valued at $14,300,550.91. This represents a 8.38% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 117,008 shares of company stock worth $14,492,704. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. S&A Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 1st quarter worth approximately $683,000. E Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. E Wealth Partners LLC now owns 3,321 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $413,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Curry Webb Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 1st quarter worth approximately $346,000. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 95,876 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $11,915,000 after purchasing an additional 1,239 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Evansbrook LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.2% in the first quarter. Evansbrook LLC now owns 14,410 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,791,000 after buying an additional 314 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.