Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Stock Keeps “Buy” Rating at BTIG Research

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reiterated by equities researchers at BTIG Research in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $140.00 price objective on the retailer’s stock. BTIG Research‘s price objective indicates a potential upside of 11.40% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the stock. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $132.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Freedom Broker upgraded shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised Walmart to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Guggenheim set a $130.00 price objective on Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 price objective (down from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $131.51.

Walmart Trading Up 0.1%

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $125.67 on Thursday. Walmart has a 12 month low of $98.88 and a 12 month high of $135.15. The firm has a market cap of $997.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.37, a P/E/G ratio of 4.53 and a beta of 0.53. 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’s 50 day moving average is $113.74 and its 200-day moving average is $118.70.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share 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 analysts’ expectations of $186.64 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.00% and a return on equity of 21.83%. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.68 earnings per share. 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 anticipate that Walmart will post 2.88 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, CEO John Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.66, for a total transaction of $1,399,912.50. Following the completion of 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.00, for a total transaction of $575,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 110,432 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,699,680. The trade was a 4.33% 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. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 268,222 shares of company stock worth $31,604,051. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Strait & Sound Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 0.3% during the first quarter. Strait & Sound Wealth Management LLC now owns 25,443 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,162,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the period. Kassira Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 0.8% in the third quarter. Kassira Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,538 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,199,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. Bernicke Wealth Management Ltd. boosted its stake in Walmart by 0.7% during the second quarter. Bernicke Wealth Management Ltd. now owns 12,548 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,421,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. MBE Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 1.0% during the third quarter. MBE Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,306 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $967,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BCM Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. BCM Advisors LLC now owns 2,956 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $385,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart News Roundup

Investors following WMT have been watching these news items:

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America reiterated its Buy rating and raised its price target to $139 from $126, citing further grocery and general-merchandise market-share gains and potential earnings growth. It also pointed to Walmart’s AI and advertising businesses as added support for its bullish view. Walmart’s AI and advertising businesses strengthen Bank of America’s bullish case
• Neutral Sentiment: A Q3 preview anticipates a bounce-back following a weak Q2, but this is an outlook rather than a reported result; the upcoming earnings release will determine whether that recovery is evident. Walmart: Q3 Preview, Expecting Bounce Back Following Weak Q2
• Negative Sentiment: RBC said Walmart’s fiscal third-quarter results are unlikely to produce a “significant” upside surprise, which could limit near-term gains if investor expectations are high. Walmart Unlikely to Deliver ‘Significant’ Upside Surprise; Target Set for Quarterly Beat, RBC Says

Walmart Company Profile

Walmart is a multinational retailer that operates discount stores, supercenters, neighborhood markets, and membership warehouse clubs. Its business includes Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam’s Club. The company sells groceries and a broad range of general merchandise, including apparel, electronics, household goods, and health and wellness products. Walmart also serves customers through e-commerce, with services such as order pickup and delivery. Founded by Sam Walton in 1962, Walmart is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas.