Argus Upgrades Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) to “Strong-Buy”

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) was upgraded by Argus to a “strong-buy” rating in a report issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on WMT. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $119.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $140.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Truist Financial set a $127.00 target price on Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $121.00 price target on Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $128.67.

Walmart Trading Down 1.4%

WMT stock opened at $124.87 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $119.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $109.09. The firm has a market cap of $995.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.66, a PEG ratio of 4.99 and a beta of 0.65. Walmart has a 52-week low of $79.81 and a 52-week high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.31% and a net margin of 3.26%.The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.66 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, equities analysts forecast that Walmart will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP David Chojnowski sold 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.65, for a total transaction of $746,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 136,289 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,535,221.85. The trade was a 4.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.27, for a total transaction of $2,445,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 506,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $61,962,034.28. This trade represents a 3.80% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 211,696 shares of company stock valued at $25,176,467. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Collier Financial bought a new position in Walmart in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Access Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat modestly: EPS $0.74 vs. $0.73 consensus and revenue $190.7B vs. ~$188.4B expected; e‑commerce grew ~24% and advertising climbed ~37%, supporting revenue diversification and margin lift. Walmart Q4 Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Board raised the annual dividend 5% to $0.99 (four quarterly payments of $0.2475) and reiterated capital returns (new $30B buyback authorization), which bolsters income investors and signals confidence in cash flow. Dividend Increase Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and institutional support: Argus upgraded to Strong Buy and some firms (e.g., DA Davidson) reaffirmed Buy ratings and targets near the prior highs — providing analyst-level upside case. Analyst Coverage / DA Davidson
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider sale: EVP Daniel Bartlett sold 1,255 shares (small size relative to his holdings), filed with the SEC — routine but noted by traders. SEC Form 4 – Bartlett Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Cautionary guidance: FY‑2027 EPS guidance of $2.75–2.85 came in below consensus (~$2.94) and Q1 guidance was conservative — that outlook drove the intraday pullback as investors reset expectations. Walmart Guidance in Q4 Release
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction and competitive noise: Coverage noted a premarket drop and commentary that Amazon has just surpassed Walmart in annual revenue — a symbolic shift that fuels short‑term concern about competitive positioning. Amazon Surpasses Walmart – CNBC

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.