Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Shares Up 1.7% – Still a Buy?

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT)’s share price traded up 1.7% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $104.99 and last traded at $104.87. 33,825,299 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 32% from the average session volume of 25,641,891 shares. The stock had previously closed at $103.09.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Guggenheim set a $130.00 price objective on Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 target price (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $131.88.

Walmart Trading Up 1.0%

The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $111.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $120.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $840.34 billion, a PE ratio of 38.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.00 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 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 firm had revenue of $187.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $186.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.68 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue 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. Equities analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of Walmart 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $14,985,527.94. The trade was a 8.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total value of $413,891.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 630,009 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $69,074,186.76. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 77,292 shares of company stock valued at $8,421,143 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 28.8% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,868,000 after acquiring an additional 21,939 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings 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 during the period. Peterson Wealth Management raised its position in Walmart by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. Peterson Wealth Management now owns 50,307 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,416,000 after purchasing an additional 1,715 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 13,008 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,272,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the period. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew 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 worth $8,931,000 after buying an additional 1,048 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

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.