Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Trading Up 1.9% – Should You Buy?

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on WMT. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 price objective (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 11th. Freedom Capital upgraded Walmart from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.85.

Walmart Stock Down 2.1%

The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The firm has a market cap of $927.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.46 and a beta of 0.59. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $124.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $122.21.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.66. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $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. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.84, for a total value of $1,638,525.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 674,162 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $84,162,384.08. This trade represents a 1.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 125,067 shares in the company, valued at $14,985,527.94. This represents a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 100,730 shares of company stock worth $12,444,624. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 57.4% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 193.0% during the 4th quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

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.