Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Stock Jumps 1.5% After Analyst Upgrade

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT)’s stock price traded up 1.5% during trading on Friday after Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on the stock from $120.00 to $135.00. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Walmart traded as high as $128.27 and last traded at $128.09. 16,386,561 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 34% from the average session volume of 24,807,109 shares. The stock had previously closed at $126.19.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on WMT. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $125.00 price objective (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Walmart from $130.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 price target (down from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $115.00 price target (down from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $131.90.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP Christopher Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.60, for a total transaction of $349,740.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 563,353 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $67,940,371.80. This represents a 0.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CTO Suresh Kumar sold 166,342 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.21, for a total value of $20,494,997.82. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 1,632,223 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $201,106,195.83. This trade represents a 9.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 268,222 shares of company stock worth $31,604,051. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Walmart News

Investors following WMT have been watching these news items:

• Positive Sentiment: Several Zacks articles point to the potential for an earnings beat in next week’s report, citing expected earnings growth and Walmart’s business momentum. Separately, ETFs reportedly bought $112.9 million of WMT shares on November 10, adding a source of demand. Earnings outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart will release third-quarter results and host an investor call on November 19. The report is a near-term catalyst: investors will look for evidence that results can support the stock’s elevated valuation. Earnings call announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart agreed to pay a record $7.8 million to settle Pennsylvania child-labor violations. The agreement also requires stronger compliance measures and provides for higher penalties for future violations, raising regulatory and oversight concerns. Pennsylvania child labor settlement

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Bell & Brown Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the second quarter worth $6,451,000. Advisortrust Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 20.2% in the first quarter. Advisortrust Partners LLC now owns 67,142 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,344,000 after acquiring an additional 11,283 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in Walmart in the second quarter valued at $7,455,131,000. HORAN Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 55.7% in the first quarter. HORAN Wealth LLC now owns 81,544 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $9,931,000 after purchasing an additional 29,184 shares during the period. Finally, Park National Corp OH boosted its holdings in Walmart by 282.9% in the third quarter. Park National Corp OH now owns 119,865 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $12,456,000 after purchasing an additional 88,562 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Trading Up 1.5%

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $114.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $118.74. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The company has a market cap of $1.02 trillion, a PE ratio of 46.24, a P/E/G ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 0.53.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $186.64 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.83% and a net margin of 3.00%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.68 EPS. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 EPS for the current year.

About Walmart

Walmart is a multinational retailer that operates discount stores, supercenters, neighborhood markets, and membership warehouse clubs. Its business includes Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam’s Club. The company sells groceries and a broad range of general merchandise, including apparel, electronics, household goods, and health and wellness products. Walmart also serves customers through e-commerce, with services such as order pickup and delivery. Founded by Sam Walton in 1962, Walmart is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas.