Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Stock Price Up 1.9% – Still a Buy?

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) shares shot up 1.9% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $120.25 and last traded at $119.42. Approximately 23,392,499 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 10% from the average daily volume of 26,032,740 shares. The stock had previously closed at $117.18.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart said it plans to acquire Vibe.co, a connected-TV advertising technology firm, which could expand Walmart Connect and help the company attract smaller advertisers while improving ad monetization. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart struck a 15-year nuclear power supply deal with Constellation Energy, signaling stronger long-term energy planning and support for carbon-free electricity needs across its operations. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is also expanding its healthcare and pharmacy push, including Medicare support initiatives and broader chronic-care education, which could deepen customer loyalty and drive traffic. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart said Life Extension supplements will now be sold in more than 4,000 stores, adding another category to its health-and-wellness assortment and supporting same-store sales mix. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Executive Vice President Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. The transaction was small relative to his overall holdings and appears routine. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart is facing a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging it and other retailers used AI pricing tools to inflate California gas prices, creating legal and reputational risk. Article Title

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Walmart from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Guggenheim increased their price objective on Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, May 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.85.

Walmart Trading Up 1.9%

The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $124.37 and a 200 day simple moving average of $122.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market cap of $950.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.90, a P/E/G ratio of 4.37 and a beta of 0.60.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.66. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.61 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total transaction of $1,435,203.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 125,067 shares in the company, valued at $14,985,527.94. The trade was a 8.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.63, for a total value of $2,303,320.08. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,174,579 shares in the company, valued at $495,230,306.77. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 120,146 shares of company stock worth $14,835,898 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 57.4% during the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 193.0% in the 4th quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.