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

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT)’s share price shot up 1.4% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $113.86 and last traded at $113.10. Approximately 18,315,389 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 30% from the average daily volume of 26,074,246 shares. The stock had previously closed at $111.54.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is lowering prices on thousands of grocery and household items across Walmart stores and Sam’s Club, reinforcing its value proposition and potentially driving more traffic and market share. Walmart (WMT) Offers Lower Prices Across Stores and Clubs
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are backing Walmart’s grocery strategy, suggesting the company’s focus on price leadership could continue to support sales momentum and investor confidence. Walmart stock gains after price cuts as analysts back grocery strategy
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer called Walmart one of the “greatest companies on earth” and said investors may be seeing an “incredible buying opportunity,” which can help sentiment around the stock. Jim Cramer on Walmart: “I Think You’re Getting an Incredible Buying Opportunity Here”
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is expanding Sam’s Club wellness perks with Weight Watchers benefits, a move aimed at improving member engagement, renewals, and recurring membership revenue. Can Walmart’s Sam’s Club Wellness Push Deepen Member Loyalty?
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage around Walmart’s health event and AI shopping efforts highlights growth opportunities in healthcare and retail technology, but these themes are still longer-term and not an immediate earnings driver.
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparisons with Target and broader retail commentary reinforce Walmart’s scale and steady revenue profile, but do not materially change the near-term outlook.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on WMT. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 22nd. UBS Group set a $141.00 price target on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.85.

Walmart Trading Up 1.5%

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $120.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $122.02. The company has a market capitalization of $906.43 billion, a PE ratio of 39.97, a P/E/G ratio of 4.22 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The business had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.61 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total transaction of $413,891.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 630,009 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,074,186.76. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 125,067 shares in the company, valued at $14,985,527.94. This trade represents a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 104,505 shares of company stock valued at $12,858,514 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 28.8% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,868,000 after acquiring an additional 21,939 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $800,000 after purchasing an additional 485 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Wealth Management increased its holdings in Walmart by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. Peterson Wealth Management now owns 50,307 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,416,000 after purchasing an additional 1,715 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 13,008 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,272,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its position in shares of Walmart by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 91,341 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,931,000 after purchasing an additional 1,048 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Company Profile

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.