Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Upgraded to Strong-Buy at Argus

Argus upgraded shares of Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $150.00 price objective on Walmart in a research note on Tuesday. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $130.00 price objective (up from $123.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $119.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, January 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $128.59.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT traded up $2.98 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $129.60. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 13,011,484 shares, compared to its average volume of 38,376,914. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $119.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $108.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.03 trillion, a PE ratio of 45.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.93 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.80. Walmart has a one year low of $79.81 and a one year high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a net margin of 3.26% and a return on equity of 21.31%. 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 firm earned $0.66 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP Donna Morris sold 76,181 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.79, for a total value of $9,430,445.99. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 402,072 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,772,492.88. The trade was a 15.93% 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, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total value of $2,313,804.72. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,274,856 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $509,434,589.52. This represents a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 210,441 shares of company stock valued at $25,009,289. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Lexington Hill Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $224,000. First Growth Capital LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $470,000. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Walmart by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 276,985 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $30,859,000 after buying an additional 15,078 shares during the last quarter. Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 48.8% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,846,490 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $317,127,000 after buying an additional 933,690 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat — Walmart reported $0.74 EPS vs. $0.73 expected and revenue of $190.7B, topping estimates and showing 5.6% YoY growth. Walmart (WMT) Q4 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Under-the-hood strength — global e‑commerce rose ~24%, Walmart Connect advertising and membership fee revenue grew strongly, and operating income/ margins expanded, supporting cash flow. Walmart reports revenue growth of 5.6%, up 4.9% in constant currency (cc)
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns boosted — board raised the annual dividend to $0.99 (a 5% increase), reinforcing the income profile for long-term holders. Walmart Raises Annual Dividend to $0.99 per Share, Marking 53rd Consecutive Year of Dividend Increases
• Neutral Sentiment: Leadership transition — this was CEO John Furner’s first earnings release; management tone was deliberately conservative as the company balances growth with margin/cost discipline. Walmart to tread with caution into 2026 as Furner-era begins
• Neutral Sentiment: Longer-term bullish signals remain — analysts and institutions continue to show interest (some upgrades and stake increases), and management reiterated cash‑return priorities (dividend + buybacks). (No single article cited)
• Negative Sentiment: Cautious guidance disappointed — Walmart guided FY‑2027 EPS to $2.75–2.85 and Q1 EPS to ~$0.61, below consensus (~$2.94 for FY), which is the main reason investors sold into the print. Company Press Release / Slide Deck (PDF)
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term market reaction — shares moved lower in premarket trading as investors focused on the below‑consensus outlook despite the solid holiday quarter. Walmart shares fall 3% as cautious outlook overshadows solid quarterly results

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.