Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Shares Up 1.5% – Time to Buy?

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT)’s share price was up 1.5% on Thursday. The stock traded as high as $121.38 and last traded at $117.87. Approximately 31,927,326 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 27% from the average session volume of 25,132,641 shares. The stock had previously closed at $116.16.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Deutsche Bank’s upgrade and higher price target provided the strongest stock-specific catalyst, signaling increased confidence in Walmart’s 2027 earnings potential. Deutsche upgrades Walmart to Buy on favorable 2027 setup
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are rotating from technology stocks into defensive consumer-staples companies as higher inflation increases the appeal of retailers selling everyday necessities. This broader sector move is helping Walmart and other major retailers. These Consumer Stocks Are Getting a Lift as Investors Rotate Out of Tech
• Positive Sentiment: Faster pickup, flexible delivery, digital tools and Walmart+ engagement could help the company capture holiday e-commerce demand and support sales growth. Can Walmart’s Faster Shopping Options Boost Holiday Sales Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s expanded employee healthcare benefits, including no-cost prescriptions and paid NICU leave, may improve retention and reinforce its value-focused brand, although the direct financial effect is uncertain. Walmart Expands Employee Healthcare Benefits With Free Prescriptions And Paid NICU Leave
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is expanding private-label fashion and automated fulfillment capacity, including a new large California facility. These initiatives could broaden sales and improve efficiency, but require investment and execution. Walmart hits the runway in new private-label fashion push
• Negative Sentiment: Potential risks include an FDA warning involving Walmart’s marketplace compliance, extensive recent insider selling and valuation concerns after the stock’s advance. These issues could limit upside if growth or margins disappoint. FDA Warning Letter Puts Walmart Marketplace Compliance Under Investor Scrutiny

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on WMT shares. Truist Financial set a $114.00 price target on Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on Walmart from $137.00 to $131.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 target price (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Freedom Capital upgraded Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 target price (down from $146.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-three have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $132.41.

Walmart Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $108.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $116.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market cap of $935.15 billion, a PE ratio of 42.55, a PEG ratio of 4.28 and a beta of 0.58.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $186.64 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.00% and a return on equity of 21.83%. The business’s revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $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. On average, research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Christopher Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.65, for a total value of $309,285.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 566,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $60,390,882.45. This represents a 0.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.66, for a total value of $1,399,912.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 647,912 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $69,106,293.92. This represents a 1.99% 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. Insiders sold 81,219 shares of company stock worth $8,604,429 in the last three months. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 1.1% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 188,036,646 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $21,297,031,000 after buying an additional 2,107,781 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 2nd quarter valued at $7,455,131,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 6.4% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 28,142,040 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,497,493,000 after buying an additional 1,681,353 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in Walmart during the 2nd quarter worth about $2,905,655,000. Finally, Amundi lifted its stake in Walmart by 44.4% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 20,796,957 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,355,463,000 after acquiring an additional 6,393,326 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Walmart

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.