Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Shares Climb 3.5% – What’s Next?

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT)’s share price was up 3.5% on Wednesday. The company traded as high as $116.24 and last traded at $116.16. 25,699,710 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 2% from the average session volume of 25,096,908 shares. The stock had previously closed at $112.28.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Deutsche Bank upgraded Walmart to Buy from Hold and raised its price target to $136 from $113. The bank cited a more favorable setup heading into 2027, including growth in Walmart’s marketplace, advertising, membership, and e-commerce operations. Walmart Stock Pops Following Deutsche Bank Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s global e-commerce sales rose 23% in the quarter ended July 31, 2026, and management raised fiscal 2027 adjusted earnings guidance to $2.80–$2.87 per share. Faster pickup, delivery improvements, Walmart+ engagement, and digital initiatives could support holiday sales. Home Depot vs. Walmart
• Positive Sentiment: Hotter inflation—September CPI reached 3.7%—has encouraged investors to rotate from technology stocks toward defensive consumer-staples companies. Walmart may benefit from increased value-seeking by consumers if elevated prices and interest rates persist. What the Latest Fed Decision Means for Walmart
• Positive Sentiment: The company announced broader U.S. employee benefits, including a zero-dollar prescription tier covering more than 250 medications. The move could improve employee retention and reinforce Walmart’s value-focused brand, although it may also add costs. Walmart Employee Healthcare Benefits
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart Connect’s advertising business is gaining attention as a differentiated retail-media platform built around in-store and purchase data. Its long-term margin potential is positive, but competition with Amazon remains intense. Amazon Ads vs. Walmart Connect
• Negative Sentiment: Rising costs are creating a pricing challenge for Walmart and Target. Additionally, Walmart’s elevated valuation means much of its operational strength may already be reflected in the stock, increasing the risk of disappointment if growth slows. Walmart and Target Face a Price Problem

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $113.00 to $136.00 in a report on Thursday. Evercore set a $125.00 target price on Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Truist Financial set a $114.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Finally, DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and set a $132.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-three have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $132.41.

Walmart Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $108.68 and a 200 day moving average of $116.21. The stock has a market cap of $942.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.87, a P/E/G ratio of 4.43 and a beta of 0.58.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a net margin of 3.00% and a return on equity of 21.83%. The business had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $186.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.68 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Christopher Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.65, for a total value of $309,285.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 566,253 shares in the company, valued at $60,390,882.45. This trade represents a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.35, for a total value of $5,335,345.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 201,672 shares in the company, valued at $21,246,145.20. This trade represents a 20.07% 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. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold a total of 81,219 shares of company stock worth $8,604,429 over the last 90 days. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Walmart by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 188,036,646 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $21,297,031,000 after acquiring an additional 2,107,781 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the second quarter worth about $7,455,131,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of Walmart by 6.4% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 28,142,040 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,497,493,000 after acquiring an additional 1,681,353 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the second quarter worth about $2,905,655,000. Finally, Amundi lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 44.4% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 20,796,957 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,355,463,000 after acquiring an additional 6,393,326 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc (NASDAQ: WMT) is a multinational retailer that operates supercenters, discount stores, neighborhood markets, warehouse clubs and e-commerce platforms. Its merchandise includes groceries, apparel, electronics, home goods, health and wellness products, household essentials and general merchandise. Walmart also provides services such as grocery pickup and delivery, pharmacy services, financial products and digital advertising.

The company serves customers through its Walmart U.S., Walmart International and Sam’s Club segments.