Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Given “Outperform” Rating at Royal Bank Of Canada

Royal Bank Of Canada reissued their outperform rating on shares of Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $137.00 price objective on the retailer’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on WMT. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 price target (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 11th. UBS Group set a $141.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Truist Financial set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.85.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $109.33 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. Walmart has a 1 year low of $95.29 and a 1 year high of $135.15. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $117.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $122.09. The firm has a market cap of $870.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.36, a P/E/G ratio of 4.12 and a beta of 0.60.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.61 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Walmart will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total transaction of $1,308,670.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 120,203 shares in the company, valued at $14,300,550.91. The trade was a 8.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.63, for a total transaction of $2,303,320.08. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,174,579 shares in the company, valued at approximately $495,230,306.77. The trade was a 0.46% decrease in their position. 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. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 67,729 shares of company stock valued at $8,124,931. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Walmart

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WMT. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 57.4% during the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 193.0% in the fourth quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: RBC reaffirmed an outperform rating on Walmart and set a $137 price target, signaling meaningful upside from current levels and helping support sentiment. Benzinga report on RBC rating reaffirmation
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is being described as a solid growth stock, with articles citing above-average financial growth and positioning that could help it outperform the market. Zacks growth stock article
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart partnered with ReturnPro to refurbish and resell returned items, a move that could improve e-commerce margins, recover value from returns, and reduce waste. Yahoo Finance ReturnPro partnership article

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.