DA Davidson Reaffirms “Buy” Rating for Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT)

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT)‘s stock had its “buy” rating restated by stock analysts at DA Davidson in a research report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $150.00 price target on the retailer’s stock. DA Davidson’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 31.34% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on WMT. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 target price (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 11th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 target price (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $142.00 price target on Walmart and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Erste Group Bank downgraded Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.50.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT stock traded down $1.06 on Monday, reaching $114.21. 10,463,455 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 25,051,607. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $114.34 and a 200-day moving average of $121.54. The firm has a market cap of $908.89 billion, a PE ratio of 40.07, a P/E/G ratio of 4.30 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. Walmart has a twelve month low of $95.42 and a twelve month high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. The company had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.Walmart’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.61 earnings per share. 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, equities analysts predict that Walmart will post 2.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total value of $1,308,670.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 120,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,300,550.91. This trade represents a 8.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,710 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.10, for a total transaction of $419,601.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 626,299 shares in the company, valued at $70,834,416.90. This represents a 0.59% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 70,189 shares of company stock valued at $8,377,320. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 2nd quarter worth $7,455,131,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $6,458,529,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the second quarter worth about $2,905,655,000. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 188.1% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,199,907,000 after acquiring an additional 7,614,172 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in Walmart in the second quarter valued at about $796,677,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s low-price strategy, including roughly 7,200 rollbacks, is designed to protect store traffic and support market-share gains as fuel costs pressure household budgets. The company is also benefiting from relatively stable spending among higher-income shoppers. Can Walmart Sustain Growth as Household Budgets Tighten?
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s 53-year record of annual dividend increases reinforces its defensive appeal and signals confidence in the durability of its cash-generating business, although the dividend yield remains modest. Walmart Keeps Raising Its Payout No Matter What the Market Does
• Neutral Sentiment: This week’s earnings from Walmart and other major retailers will provide an important read on consumer health, particularly whether shoppers are trading down, limiting discretionary purchases, or remaining resilient. Fed minutes and economic data could also influence retail valuations and interest-rate expectations. Retail Earnings and Fed Minutes Highlighted This Week
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts are concerned that U.S. comparable-store sales could come in around 3%, below the 3.8% consensus, with slower General Merchandise and Health & Wellness growth. Oppenheimer downgraded the stock to Perform ahead of earnings. Wall Street Brunch: Walmart Leads Retail Earnings Week
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart’s premium valuation—approximately 40 times earnings and a PEG ratio above 4—leaves limited room for disappointment. The company previously cited pressure on lower-income shoppers, while its reaffirmed fiscal 2027 outlook of 3.5%-4.5% sales growth and $2.75-$2.85 adjusted EPS did not provide the upgrade some investors expected. Walmart: Earnings Setup as Consumer Tailwinds Turn Into Headwinds

Walmart Company Profile

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.