Erste Group Bank Forecasts Stronger Earnings for Walmart

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) – Analysts at Erste Group Bank upped their FY2028 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Walmart in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, May 15th. Erste Group Bank analyst S. Lingnau now expects that the retailer will post earnings per share of $3.25 for the year, up from their previous forecast of $3.24. Erste Group Bank currently has a “Strong-Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Walmart’s current full-year earnings is $2.89 per share.

WMT has been the topic of several other research reports. Argus raised Walmart to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 price objective on Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and set a $140.00 price objective (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $138.88.

Walmart Trading Up 1.4%

NASDAQ WMT opened at $133.34 on Tuesday. 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 has a twelve month low of $93.43 and a twelve month high of $134.69. The company has a market cap of $1.06 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.85 and a beta of 0.65. The business’s fifty day moving average is $126.57 and its 200 day moving average is $119.46.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.66 EPS. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter 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.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Collier Financial bought a new stake in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP acquired a new stake in Walmart in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.71, for a total value of $2,460,201.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,023,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $509,780,812.39. This trade represents a 0.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.96, for a total value of $1,600,725.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 687,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $83,821,522.52. This trade represents a 1.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 167,190 shares of company stock worth $20,975,838. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a $0.2475 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.13%.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s push into AI, automation, and more efficient fulfillment could support margins over time by lowering costs and improving order economics, reinforcing the long-term growth story. Walmart’s AI and Automation Push: Long-Term Cost Advantage?
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are focusing on Walmart’s upcoming quarterly results, and the expectation of an 8% jump in first-quarter net income signals continued operating strength heading into earnings. Walmart expected to post 8% first fiscal quarter net income gain
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart remains a preferred defensive retail name, with analysts and investors still comparing it favorably against the broader retail group as consumers stay value-focused. RTH Owns Amazon and Walmart. XRT Owns Everything Else.
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart’s new restaurant-delivery expansion through Spark adds another convenience service, but it is too early to tell how much it will move the stock in the near term. Walmart is starting to deliver restaurant meals with your grocery order
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Daniel Bartlett sold 1,250 shares in a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan, which is a small insider-sale headline that may slightly weigh on sentiment, even though it does not look like a major confidence signal. SEC Form 4 filing
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market caution tied to geopolitical risk, including concerns around the Strait of Hormuz, could limit enthusiasm for retail stocks even when the company-specific news is constructive. NVDA, WMT Report This Week, but News on the Strait Is Key

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.