Wall Street Zen Downgrades Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) to Hold

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Sunday.

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $129.00 price objective (up previously from $122.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, January 5th. Tigress Financial increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Evercore ISI set a $120.00 price target on Walmart and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Thirty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.03.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $119.70 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $954.03 billion, a PE ratio of 41.85, a PEG ratio of 5.10 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Walmart has a 1 year low of $79.81 and a 1 year high of $121.24. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $111.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $104.54.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $179.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $175.15 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.31% and a net margin of 3.26%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.58 EPS. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, SVP David Chojnowski sold 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.65, for a total value of $746,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 136,289 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,535,221.85. The trade was a 4.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Donna Morris sold 9,384 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.19, for a total transaction of $1,127,862.96. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 536,312 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $64,459,339.28. This represents a 1.72% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 139,215 shares of company stock worth $15,502,810 over the last ninety days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Walmart by 0.9% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 435,652,710 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $44,898,368,000 after purchasing an additional 3,835,200 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Walmart by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $19,046,104,000 after purchasing an additional 2,242,364 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 94,557,532 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $9,199,712,000 after buying an additional 263,718 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Walmart in the 2nd quarter valued at $5,367,770,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in Walmart by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,298,623 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,153,176,000 after buying an additional 634,211 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Executive succession clarified: John Furner will become CEO next month and promoted longtime insider David Guggina to CEO of Walmart U.S., a move investors interpret as continuity-focused and supportive for execution on omnichannel and AI strategies. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: AI/digital momentum: Coverage highlights Walmart’s AI initiatives and partnerships (Google/Alphabet, OpenAI/ChatGPT) as starting to produce sales/efficiency upside — a strategic story driving valuation premium and analyst optimism. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Fintech and ancillary growth: Walmart‑backed OnePay reached a $4B valuation milestone, signaling potential non‑retail upside from financial-services partnerships. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Multiple firms recently reiterated/raised Buy/Outperform views and targets, reinforcing short‑term institutional demand. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Competitive positioning: Analysts note Walmart is narrowing Amazon’s online lead — a positive strategic trend but one that still leaves intense competition and execution requirements. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Several senior execs disclosed share sales (combined millions), which can be interpreted as routine diversification but may pressure sentiment short term. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: International leadership turnover: Walmart International CEO Kathryn McLay will depart (staying through transition), raising near‑term succession and execution questions for overseas growth. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/tax uncertainty: India’s top court is set to rule on tax treatment of the 2018 Flipkart stake sale (Tiger Global → Walmart), a potential precedent with financial or reputational implications. Read More.

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.