Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Stock Jumps 2.2% – Time to Buy?

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) was up 2.2% during mid-day trading on Thursday. The stock traded as high as $111.13 and last traded at $110.56. 23,606,298 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 7% from the average session volume of 25,249,576 shares. The stock had previously closed at $108.16.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Faster Walmart+ fulfillment could support holiday sales. Walmart’s new Express Pickup service promises eligible orders ready for curbside collection in as little as one hour. Combined with its “Shop to Light” in-store navigation tool, the rollout may increase Walmart+ engagement, convenience, and customer retention during the important holiday season. Walmart’s One-Hour Express Pickup Push Could Be a Game Changer
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart Connect is expanding beyond Walmart-owned media. Partnerships with Warner Bros. Discovery, Spotify, and Yahoo will allow advertisers to use Walmart shopper data across connected television, streaming audio, and other third-party platforms. Broader reach and measurable advertising campaigns could accelerate the company’s higher-margin retail-media business. How Is Walmart Turning Shopper Data Into a Bigger Advertising Business?
• Positive Sentiment: Participation in an AI-agent protocol may improve Walmart’s digital capabilities. Walmart is working with Meta, Sierra, Shopify, Stripe, and others on a standard that would let consumers’ AI agents interact directly with businesses. The initiative could eventually streamline shopping, customer service, and transactions, though commercial benefits are still developing. Meta and Sierra Launch Protocol for AI Agents
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is being used as an example of long-term retail compounding. A market commentary comparing Casey’s General Stores with Walmart’s 1988 profile highlights Walmart’s historical expansion, but it does not provide a new company-specific catalyst or estimate for WMT. Only 20 Stocks Are Holding Up the Market: 3 Bargains Outside AI
• Negative Sentiment: High interest rates could pressure consumers and Walmart’s valuation. Broader concerns about borrowing costs above 5% raise the risk of weaker discretionary spending and tighter financial conditions. Walmart’s defensive, value-oriented business may be relatively resilient, but its premium earnings multiple leaves less room for disappointment. America Got Addicted to Cheap Money

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Tigress Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $155.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, August 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Guggenheim set a $130.00 price target on Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Walmart from $140.00 to $120.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $131.74.

Walmart Stock Up 2.2%

The company has a market cap of $877.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.09 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The company has a fifty day moving average of $108.43 and a 200 day moving average of $116.55.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.83% and a net margin of 3.00%.The business had revenue of $187.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $186.64 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.68 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,990 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.41, for a total value of $416,595.90. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 618,359 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $64,562,863.19. This trade represents a 0.64% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.35, for a total value of $5,335,345.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 201,672 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,246,145.20. This represents a 20.07% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold a total of 81,219 shares of company stock valued at $8,604,429 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Artemis Investment Management LLP grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 51.7% during the 3rd quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 779,272 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $80,982,000 after acquiring an additional 265,717 shares during the period. Aletheian Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Aletheian Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,186 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $539,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the period. Apeiron RIA LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 129.1% during the 3rd quarter. Apeiron RIA LLC now owns 7,000 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $730,000 after acquiring an additional 3,945 shares during the period. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 3.7% during the third quarter. YHB Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 111,309 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $11,567,000 after purchasing an additional 4,012 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Titleist Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 10.9% in the third quarter. Titleist Asset Management LLC now owns 13,239 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,376,000 after purchasing an additional 1,305 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Company Profile

Walmart Inc (NASDAQ: WMT) is a multinational retailer that operates supercenters, discount stores, neighborhood markets, warehouse clubs and e-commerce platforms. Its merchandise includes groceries, apparel, electronics, home goods, health and wellness products, household essentials and general merchandise. Walmart also provides services such as grocery pickup and delivery, pharmacy services, financial products and digital advertising.

The company serves customers through its Walmart U.S., Walmart International and Sam’s Club segments.