Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Releases FY 2027 Earnings Guidance

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) updated its FY 2027 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 2.750-2.850 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 2.940. The company issued revenue guidance of $738.2 billion-$745.3 billion. Walmart also updated its Q1 2027 guidance to 0.610-0.610 EPS.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WMT. HSBC cut shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $122.00 to $131.00 in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $135.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Argus upgraded Walmart to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $145.00 price target (up from $128.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $132.53.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $122.99 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $980.25 billion, a PE ratio of 44.89, a PEG ratio of 5.07 and a beta of 0.65. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $119.37 and a 200 day moving average of $109.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. Walmart has a 12 month low of $79.81 and a 12 month high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.66 EPS. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Walmart will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP David Chojnowski sold 7,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.65, for a total value of $746,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 136,289 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,535,221.85. This trade represents a 4.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Donna Morris sold 76,181 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.79, for a total value of $9,430,445.99. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 402,072 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,772,492.88. This trade represents a 15.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 211,696 shares of company stock worth $25,176,467. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management highlights AI/automation and faster e‑commerce growth, which should support margin and productivity improvements over time. The future of retail is AI
• Positive Sentiment: Several brokers raised price targets or reaffirmed buy/outperform calls (Telsey, BTIG, Truist), which provides near‑term support and buyer interest. Telsey raises target
• Positive Sentiment: Board boosted shareholder returns — annual dividend raised to $0.99 and the company has been authorizing buybacks, which underpins cash‑return support. Dividend increase press release
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional activity shows accumulation in recent quarters and some technical analysts view the current pullback as a buying opportunity around $120–$110. That can stabilize downside but may not trigger an immediate rally. MarketBeat buy thesis
• Neutral Sentiment: An EVP sold a small block (1,255 shares) disclosed on a Form 4 — immaterial relative to his total holdings and likely routine liquidity. SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance disappointed — FY‑2027 EPS and Q1 guidance came in below consensus and management used cautious language; this guidance miss is the primary driver of today’s selloff. Q4 press release / slides
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns and bearish commentary argue that expected operating‑income gains don’t fully justify high multiples, prompting some investors to trim positions. Seeking Alpha valuation critique
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive narrative: Amazon now surpasses Walmart in annual revenue — symbolic but it focuses investor attention on competitive pressure and growth strategy execution. Amazon surpasses Walmart
• Negative Sentiment: Limited analyst downgrades (HSBC cut to Hold) add to selling pressure from cautious funds. WMT Downgrade video

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp increased its position in Walmart by 1.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $19,046,104,000 after acquiring an additional 2,242,364 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 24,990,692 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,575,541,000 after acquiring an additional 93,459 shares during the last quarter. Amundi boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 20.5% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 23,497,921 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,413,236,000 after purchasing an additional 4,004,277 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Walmart by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 15,602,359 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,738,321,000 after purchasing an additional 114,154 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in Walmart by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 12,373,333 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,378,513,000 after purchasing an additional 710,161 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.