BTIG Research Reaffirms Buy Rating for Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT)

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reaffirmed by equities researchers at BTIG Research in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $140.00 target price on the retailer’s stock. BTIG Research’s target price points to a potential upside of 13.83% from the company’s previous close.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 price target (up from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $150.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 price target (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $119.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Thursday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $132.53.

Walmart Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $122.99 on Friday. Walmart has a 12-month low of $79.81 and a 12-month high of $134.69. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $119.37 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $109.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $980.25 billion, a PE ratio of 44.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.99 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $188.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.66 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue 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. As a group, analysts expect that Walmart will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,255 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.21, for a total value of $167,178.55. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 586,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $78,104,886.09. This represents a 0.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Donna Morris sold 76,181 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.79, for a total value of $9,430,445.99. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 402,072 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,772,492.88. This represents a 15.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 211,696 shares of company stock valued at $25,176,467. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $49,015,626,000 after buying an additional 4,304,436 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Walmart by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $19,046,104,000 after acquiring an additional 2,242,364 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $11,426,753,000 after acquiring an additional 6,517,394 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $6,458,529,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,626,852 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,526,238,000 after purchasing an additional 328,229 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management highlights AI/automation and faster e‑commerce growth, which should support margin and productivity improvements over time. The future of retail is AI
• Positive Sentiment: Several brokers raised price targets or reaffirmed buy/outperform calls (Telsey, BTIG, Truist), which provides near‑term support and buyer interest. Telsey raises target
• Positive Sentiment: Board boosted shareholder returns — annual dividend raised to $0.99 and the company has been authorizing buybacks, which underpins cash‑return support. Dividend increase press release
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional activity shows accumulation in recent quarters and some technical analysts view the current pullback as a buying opportunity around $120–$110. That can stabilize downside but may not trigger an immediate rally. MarketBeat buy thesis
• Neutral Sentiment: An EVP sold a small block (1,255 shares) disclosed on a Form 4 — immaterial relative to his total holdings and likely routine liquidity. SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance disappointed — FY‑2027 EPS and Q1 guidance came in below consensus and management used cautious language; this guidance miss is the primary driver of today’s selloff. Q4 press release / slides
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns and bearish commentary argue that expected operating‑income gains don’t fully justify high multiples, prompting some investors to trim positions. Seeking Alpha valuation critique
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive narrative: Amazon now surpasses Walmart in annual revenue — symbolic but it focuses investor attention on competitive pressure and growth strategy execution. Amazon surpasses Walmart
• Negative Sentiment: Limited analyst downgrades (HSBC cut to Hold) add to selling pressure from cautious funds. WMT Downgrade video

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.