BTIG Research Reaffirms “Buy” Rating for Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT)

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reissued by investment analysts at BTIG Research in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $125.00 target price on the retailer’s stock. BTIG Research’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 4.36% from the company’s previous close.

WMT has been the topic of several other research reports. Tigress Financial increased their target price on Walmart from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $130.00 price objective (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Walmart in a report on Thursday, September 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $129.00 target price for the company. Finally, Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday. Thirty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.70.

Walmart Stock Down 0.5%

Walmart stock traded down $0.58 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $119.78. 4,412,050 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 22,837,828. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $110.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $104.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $954.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.03 and a beta of 0.66. Walmart has a 52-week low of $79.81 and a 52-week high of $121.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

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

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.63, for a total value of $406,520.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,040,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $105,741,441.65. This represents a 0.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.57, for a total value of $2,127,411.12. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,334,747 shares in the company, valued at approximately $474,958,228.79. This represents a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 124,078 shares of company stock valued at $13,523,502 over the last ninety days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Collier Financial bought a new stake in Walmart in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Access Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: WMT hit a 52‑week high as steady sales, stronger e‑commerce growth and higher‑margin business lines boost investor confidence. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s partnerships with Alphabet/Google (Gemini) and ChatGPT are being highlighted by Goldman as a source of potential sales upside — this reinforces the narrative that Walmart is becoming a tech/AI‑driven retailer. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Inclusion in the Nasdaq‑100 and associated mechanical buying has been a near‑term catalyst, drawing index flows and re‑rating Walmart as more of a tech‑enabled company. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart expanded its drone delivery footprint and announced deeper Alphabet unit collaboration for AI shopping tools — both moves support faster online fulfillment and differentiated omnichannel capability. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Telsey Advisory reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $135 price target, signaling upside from current levels and giving institutional investors a bullish reference point. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually large options and call buying (142k calls) and an insider purchase (~$93k by Shishir Mehrotra) indicate speculative and insider confidence in near‑term upside. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyses highlighting Walmart’s narrowing online gap with Amazon underline strategic progress, but competition and execution still matter for longer‑term market share gains. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary about rotation into value stocks positions Walmart as a beneficiary of risk‑off flows given its stable cash flows and dividend, but macro/interest‑rate dynamics remain the bigger market driver. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts and commentators argue Walmart is overvalued at current multiples and have reduced exposure; valuation sensitivity could cap upside if broader markets sell off. Read More. and Read More.

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.