Truist Financial Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Stock

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) had its price objective hoisted by investment analysts at Truist Financial from $127.00 to $139.00 in a report released on Friday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the retailer’s stock. Truist Financial’s price objective points to a potential upside of 13.02% from the company’s previous close.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on WMT. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday. Tigress Financial upped their price objective on Walmart from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, HSBC downgraded shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $122.00 to $131.00 in a research note on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $132.53.

Walmart Trading Down 1.5%

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $122.99 on Friday. Walmart has a 52-week low of $79.81 and a 52-week high of $134.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $119.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $109.33. The company 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.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.66 EPS. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Walmart will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total value of $2,313,804.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,274,856 shares in the company, valued at approximately $509,434,589.52. The trade was a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.27, for a total transaction of $2,445,400.00. Following 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. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 211,696 shares of company stock valued at $25,176,467. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 24.2% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,175,703 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $121,168,000 after purchasing an additional 229,220 shares in the last quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 0.8% in the second quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 5,091,126 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $497,771,000 after purchasing an additional 42,645 shares in the last quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. lifted its position in Walmart by 16.6% during the third quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 63,782 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,567,000 after buying an additional 9,061 shares during the period. Aviva PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 16.4% during the 2nd quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 3,833,720 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $374,861,000 after buying an additional 539,504 shares in the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors grew its position in shares of Walmart by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 293,866 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $30,286,000 after buying an additional 14,487 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

More Walmart News

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.