Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Trading 1.6% Higher on Analyst Upgrade

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) traded up 1.6% on Thursday after Morgan Stanley raised their price target on the stock from $135.00 to $140.00. Morgan Stanley currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Walmart traded as high as $132.46 and last traded at $132.03. 16,312,338 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 42% from the average session volume of 28,208,770 shares. The stock had previously closed at $129.98.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on WMT. Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $147.00 price target (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, March 6th. HSBC lowered shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their price target for the company from $122.00 to $131.00 in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, CICC Research initiated coverage on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, December 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $125.00 price target for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $137.79.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.84, for a total transaction of $1,638,525.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 674,162 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $84,162,384.08. The trade was a 1.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total transaction of $2,555,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 486,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $62,203,571.56. This represents a 3.95% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 243,960 shares of company stock valued at $30,284,661 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart filed its 2026 Annual Report and proxy; CEO John Furner’s first shareholder letter emphasizes confidence in the business model and investments in associates and AI-powered solutions — signals management is prioritizing productivity and tech-driven growth. Walmart Releases 2026 Annual Report and Proxy Statement
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target to $140 and kept an “overweight” rating, offering fresh analyst validation and upside versus current levels — a direct catalyst for buy-side flows. Morgan Stanley raises price target
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart launched “Upstream Facility Services,” expanding into maintenance services for businesses — a diversification move that creates higher-margin, recurring B2B revenue beyond core retail. Walmart Inc. (WMT) Diversifies Beyond Retail Into Maintenance Services
• Positive Sentiment: Sam’s Club introduced a one-hour express delivery option for members, tightening competition with Costco and improving value for members — an operational win that can drive higher same-club sales and membership retention. Walmart’s warehouse club ups the pressure on Costco
• Positive Sentiment: Consensus analyst rating sits at “Buy,” reflecting broad sell‑side confidence which supports demand for the shares. Walmart Given Consensus Rating of “Buy”
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces highlight Walmart’s strategic push into the “decision layer” (competing with Amazon on AI-driven choice architecture) — underscores longer-term tech competition but is not an immediate earnings swing. Amazon and Walmart Race to Capture Retail’s Decision Layer First
• Neutral Sentiment: Partnerships like the Back to the Roots retail program are PR/CSR positives that help merchandising and sustainability narratives but have limited near-term revenue impact. Back to the Roots Scales Regenerative Movement Nationwide
• Negative Sentiment: Industry commentary noting Visa’s faster market‑cap growth versus Walmart highlights relative-growth concerns and investor preference for payments/tech growth stories over traditional retail — a competitive narrative that can cap valuation multiples. One Year Later: We Predicted Visa Would Overtake Walmart

Institutional Trading of Walmart

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC now owns 7,105 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $883,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. Daviman Financial LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 16.8% during the 1st quarter. Daviman Financial LLC now owns 3,086 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $384,000 after acquiring an additional 445 shares during the period. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 16.6% during the 1st quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 40,367 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,017,000 after acquiring an additional 5,746 shares during the period. Granite Harbor Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Walmart by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Granite Harbor Advisors Inc. now owns 12,322 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,531,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the period. Finally, Inman Jager Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 10.2% during the 1st quarter. Inman Jager Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,392 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $670,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Up 1.6%

The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $125.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $116.64. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The stock has a market cap of $1.05 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.84 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly 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. The company had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.66 earnings per share. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $0.2475 per share. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.13%.

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.