Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Issues Q1 2027 Earnings Guidance

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) issued an update on its first quarter 2027 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 0.610-0.610 for the period. The company issued revenue guidance of $164.0 billion-$164.0 billion. Walmart also updated its FY 2027 guidance to 2.750-2.850 EPS.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ WMT opened at $121.76 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $119.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $109.09. Walmart has a 1-year low of $79.81 and a 1-year high of $134.69. The company has a market capitalization of $970.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.65, a PEG ratio of 4.99 and a beta of 0.65.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.26% and a return on equity of 21.31%. Walmart’s revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.66 earnings per share. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Walmart will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid a $0.2475 dividend. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.87%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, January 18th. Mizuho upped their price objective on Walmart from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $145.00 price target (up previously from $128.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Argus raised Walmart to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $129.48.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.99, for a total transaction of $1,574,868.75. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 727,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $87,251,328.45. This trade represents a 1.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Donna Morris sold 76,181 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.79, for a total transaction of $9,430,445.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 402,072 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,772,492.88. This trade represents a 15.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 211,696 shares of company stock worth $25,176,467 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and operational strength — Walmart reported $0.74 EPS and $190.7B revenue (both modestly ahead of estimates). Global e‑commerce grew ~24%, advertising rose ~37%, and operating income increased ~10.8%, highlighting early benefits from automation and stronger margins. Walmart Q4 press release
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend bump and capital returns — Board raised the annual dividend to $0.99 (a 5% increase) and reaffirmed meaningful capital return programs (including a new $30B buyback authorization referenced by analysts), supporting income and buyback-driven EPS accretion. Dividend announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades/price-target increases — Multiple firms reiterated or raised ratings and targets (BTIG reaffirmed Buy $140, Telsey raised to $140, DA Davidson reiterated Buy, Argus upgraded to Strong Buy), providing buy-side support and new upside targets in the mid‑$130s–$140s. Analyst coverage summaries Telsey note
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional flows — Several funds have increased WMT stakes recently, which can underpin the stock, but Walton family ownership and concentrated holdings mean moves by institutions have mixed short‑term impact. Institutional stake activity
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider selling disclosure — EVP Daniel Bartlett sold ~1,255 shares at about $133; small in size relative to his holdings and the company float, so limited signal. SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance disappointed — Management set FY‑2027 EPS of $2.75–$2.85 and Q1 EPS of $0.61, below the Street’s prior consensus (~$2.94 FY), which triggered investor caution and was cited as the main reason for early selling. Guidance details
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns and bearish takes — Several op‑eds and analyst notes argue WMT’s multiple is rich relative to forward operating‑income growth (some calls to Hold/Sell based on ~35–50x forward metrics in parts of the commentary). Those narratives amplify selling when guidance appears conservative. Seeking Alpha valuation critique Seeking Alpha sell piece
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive symbolism — News that Amazon surpassed Walmart in annual revenue (largely symbolic) adds competitive headline pressure and highlights how both firms race into higher‑margin services (ads, cloud/tech), raising investor focus on execution vs. peers. CNBC: Amazon surpasses Walmart

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $50,000. Turning Point Benefit Group Inc. bought a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $52,000. Chapman Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the second quarter worth approximately $59,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth $61,000. Finally, Ankerstar Wealth LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $64,000. 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.