Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Hits New 12-Month High – Here’s Why

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $135.01 and last traded at $134.7390, with a volume of 5412841 shares. The stock had previously closed at $133.34.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart reported Q1 EPS of $0.66, ahead of estimates, on revenue of $177.75 billion, also above expectations. The company also highlighted strong underlying growth drivers, including 26% global e-commerce growth and 37% growth in advertising revenue. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Management reaffirmed its long-term strategy and kept annual targets in place, which supports the view that Walmart’s core business remains resilient despite a cautious consumer backdrop. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts noted that Walmart continues to benefit from value-seeking shoppers, but the market is also watching whether the company can sustain growth if consumers become more stressed by inflation and higher fuel costs. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart’s Q2 guidance came in below analyst forecasts, with EPS and revenue outlooks both disappointing investors. That weaker near-term guidance is the main reason the stock is falling today. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Management warned that high gas prices are squeezing household budgets and raising Walmart’s transportation and logistics costs, increasing the risk of margin pressure even as shoppers shift toward cheaper purchases. Article Title

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on WMT shares. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Truist Financial set a $140.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday. Argus raised shares of Walmart to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $138.91.

Walmart Trading Down 7.3%

The company has a market capitalization of $967.20 billion, a PE ratio of 44.28, a PEG ratio of 4.96 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $126.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $119.89.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The business’s revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.61 EPS. 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, analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total transaction of $1,214,600.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 108,294 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,153,389.24. This trade represents a 8.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total transaction of $2,555,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 486,764 shares in the company, valued at $62,203,571.56. The trade was a 3.95% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 154,065 shares of company stock valued at $19,281,401. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Walmart by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $49,015,626,000 after purchasing an additional 4,304,436 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Walmart by 1.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $19,046,104,000 after acquiring an additional 2,242,364 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $11,426,753,000 after acquiring an additional 6,517,394 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $6,458,529,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,626,852 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,526,238,000 after acquiring an additional 328,229 shares during 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.