Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Sets New 1-Year High – Here’s Why

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $122.95 and last traded at $123.2410, with a volume of 7553434 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $119.14.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on WMT shares. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $128.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $126.00 price target (up previously from $123.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $120.00 price objective (up from $115.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Thirty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $123.37.

Walmart Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $986.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.08 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company has a 50 day moving average of $114.48 and a 200 day moving average of $106.10.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $179.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $175.15 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.31% and a net margin of 3.26%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.58 earnings per share. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel Danker sold 4,365 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.19, for a total value of $524,629.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 238,583 shares in the company, valued at $28,675,290.77. This represents a 1.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Donna Morris sold 9,384 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.19, for a total transaction of $1,127,862.96. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 536,312 shares in the company, valued at $64,459,339.28. This represents a 1.72% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 133,015 shares of company stock worth $15,082,012 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 24.2% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,175,703 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $121,168,000 after purchasing an additional 229,220 shares in the last quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 5,091,126 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $497,771,000 after acquiring an additional 42,645 shares in the last quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. boosted its position in Walmart by 16.6% during the 3rd quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 63,782 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $6,567,000 after acquiring an additional 9,061 shares during the period. Aviva PLC boosted its position in Walmart by 16.4% during the 2nd quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 3,833,720 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $374,861,000 after acquiring an additional 539,504 shares during the period. Finally, World Investment Advisors grew its stake in Walmart by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 293,866 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $30,286,000 after acquiring an additional 14,487 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.