Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Price Target Raised to $139.00 at Truist Financial

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) had its price objective increased by Truist Financial from $127.00 to $139.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the retailer’s stock.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on WMT. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 price target (up from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, January 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $138.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $135.00 price target (up previously from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, January 15th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $147.00 target price (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday. Finally, Tigress Financial lifted their price objective on Walmart from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $132.53.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ WMT opened at $122.99 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $980.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.89, a P/E/G ratio of 5.07 and a beta of 0.65. Walmart has a 52-week low of $79.81 and a 52-week high of $134.69. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $119.37 and its 200 day moving average price is $109.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.66 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Walmart will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $0.2475 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.87%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,255 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.21, for a total transaction of $167,178.55. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 586,329 shares in the company, valued at $78,104,886.09. The trade was a 0.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.99, for a total transaction of $1,574,868.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 727,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $87,251,328.45. This represents a 1.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 211,696 shares of company stock worth $25,176,467 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CWM LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 24.2% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,175,703 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $121,168,000 after buying an additional 229,220 shares in the last quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 5,091,126 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $497,771,000 after acquiring an additional 42,645 shares during the last quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. raised its position in shares of Walmart by 16.6% during the 3rd quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 63,782 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,567,000 after acquiring an additional 9,061 shares in the last quarter. Aviva PLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 16.4% during the second quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 3,833,720 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $374,861,000 after purchasing an additional 539,504 shares during the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors increased its stake in Walmart by 5.2% during the third quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 293,866 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $30,286,000 after purchasing an additional 14,487 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management highlights AI/automation and faster e‑commerce growth, which should support margin and productivity improvements over time. The future of retail is AI
• Positive Sentiment: Several brokers raised price targets or reaffirmed buy/outperform calls (Telsey, BTIG, Truist), which provides near‑term support and buyer interest. Telsey raises target
• Positive Sentiment: Board boosted shareholder returns — annual dividend raised to $0.99 and the company has been authorizing buybacks, which underpins cash‑return support. Dividend increase press release
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional activity shows accumulation in recent quarters and some technical analysts view the current pullback as a buying opportunity around $120–$110. That can stabilize downside but may not trigger an immediate rally. MarketBeat buy thesis
• Neutral Sentiment: An EVP sold a small block (1,255 shares) disclosed on a Form 4 — immaterial relative to his total holdings and likely routine liquidity. SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance disappointed — FY‑2027 EPS and Q1 guidance came in below consensus and management used cautious language; this guidance miss is the primary driver of today’s selloff. Q4 press release / slides
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns and bearish commentary argue that expected operating‑income gains don’t fully justify high multiples, prompting some investors to trim positions. Seeking Alpha valuation critique
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive narrative: Amazon now surpasses Walmart in annual revenue — symbolic but it focuses investor attention on competitive pressure and growth strategy execution. Amazon surpasses Walmart
• Negative Sentiment: Limited analyst downgrades (HSBC cut to Hold) add to selling pressure from cautious funds. WMT Downgrade video

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.