Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Given New $140.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) had its target price hoisted by Morgan Stanley from $135.00 to $140.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the retailer’s stock.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on WMT. Guggenheim upped their price target on Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $147.00 price target (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 price target on Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and issued a $147.00 price target (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $137.79.

Walmart Stock Up 0.3%

WMT stock opened at $129.98 on Wednesday. Walmart has a fifty-two week low of $91.89 and a fifty-two week high of $134.69. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $125.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $116.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.79. The company has a market capitalization of $1.04 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.83 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its earnings results 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.66 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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 forecast that Walmart will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.2475 per share. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,335 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.63, for a total transaction of $166,381.05. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 636,843 shares in the company, valued at approximately $79,369,743.09. This trade represents a 0.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.84, for a total value of $1,638,525.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 674,162 shares in the company, valued at approximately $84,162,384.08. This represents a 1.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders sold 243,960 shares of company stock worth $30,284,661. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Continuum Advisory LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 374.7% during the 1st quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 345,876 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $42,985,000 after purchasing an additional 273,008 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. boosted its stake in Walmart by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 9,603 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,193,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. Portus Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 1st quarter valued at $226,000. Apollon Financial LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. Apollon Financial LLC now owns 46,915 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,831,000 after purchasing an additional 3,527 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Apollon Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 18.3% during the 1st quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 407,717 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $50,671,000 after buying an additional 63,125 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart announced a new business unit, Upstream Facility Services, to sell maintenance services to other businesses — a push to monetize logistics/operations expertise beyond retail that could add recurring revenue and higher-margin service income. Walmart Inc. (WMT) Diversifies Beyond Retail Into Maintenance Services
• Positive Sentiment: Sam’s Club launched a one‑hour delivery option for members, escalating competition with Costco and Amazon on convenience and helping Walmart drive higher basket frequency and membership value. Faster delivery supports digital growth and same‑day monetization. Walmart’s warehouse club ups the pressure on Costco with a new member perk
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target on WMT to $140 and keeps an “overweight” rating — a visible buy‑side endorsement that can lift sentiment and flows into the stock. Benzinga analyst note
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is expanding healthcare/omnichannel offerings (Better Care Services, GLP‑1 support) and integrating pharmacy/virtual care — moves that broaden addressable market and higher‑margin services revenue. Walmart Boosts Growth Playbook With Healthcare, Omnichannel Push
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is revamping its Great Value private‑label across ~10,000 items and modernizing stores and delivery staging — initiatives aimed at margin improvement, stronger value perception and better e‑commerce fulfillment. Walmart Revamps ‘Great Value’ Brand as Shoppers Shift to Lower-Priced Options
• Neutral Sentiment: WMT is a frequently trending stock and subject of value/peer comparisons (e.g., Carrefour) and analyst roundup pieces — useful for sentiment tracking but not immediate catalysts. CRRFY vs. WMT: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?
• Neutral Sentiment: Partnerships like the Back to the Roots soil‑health product at Walmart are positive for brand and CSR but represent a modest direct financial impact. Back to the Roots Scales Regenerative Movement Nationwide
• Negative Sentiment: A California court complaint alleges Amazon coerced vendors to pressure retailers like Walmart into raising prices — if investigations expand, it could create regulatory scrutiny or supplier dynamics that indirectly affect Walmart’s pricing and relationships. California says Amazon coerced companies into illegally raising prices

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.