Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Issues Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.06 EPS

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The retailer reported $0.68 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.06), Zacks reports. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.45% and a net margin of 3.08%.The firm had revenue of $169.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.02 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.67 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart updated its Q3 2026 guidance to 0.580-0.600 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance to 2.520-2.620 EPS.

Walmart Price Performance

NYSE WMT opened at $96.8190 on Friday. Walmart has a 52-week low of $75.01 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $97.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $95.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.79. The company has a market cap of $772.66 billion, a PE ratio of 36.40, a P/E/G ratio of 4.75 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a dividend yield of 90.0%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.34%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and issued a $117.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Evercore ISI restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $110.00 target price (up from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday. Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of Walmart from $111.00 to $109.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $110.07.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.96, for a total transaction of $403,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 1,052,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $106,255,856.80. This represents a 0.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.14, for a total transaction of $1,248,712.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 932,313 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $88,700,258.82. The trade was a 1.39% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 88,841 shares of company stock valued at $8,565,205 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. NCM Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 1.7% during the second quarter. NCM Capital Management LLC now owns 7,597 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $743,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Graney & King LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 9.1% during the second quarter. Graney & King LLC now owns 1,536 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $150,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Talisman Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 4.2% in the second quarter. Talisman Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,579 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $350,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Manhattan West Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 6.6% in the second quarter. Manhattan West Asset Management LLC now owns 4,461 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $436,000 after buying an additional 277 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Investment Advisors MI raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.6% in the second quarter. Strategic Investment Advisors MI now owns 13,567 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,327,000 after buying an additional 348 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, other units, and eCommerce worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club. It operates supercenters, supermarkets, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs, cash and carry stores, and discount stores under Walmart and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands; membership-only warehouse clubs; ecommerce websites, such as walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, PhonePe and other sites; and mobile commerce applications.