Walmart’s (WMT) “Outperform” Rating Reiterated at BNP Paribas Exane

BNP Paribas Exane reissued their outperform rating on shares of Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) in a research report report published on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $137.00 target price on the retailer’s stock, down from their previous target price of $146.00.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on WMT. Oppenheimer lowered shares of Walmart from a “market perform” rating to a “cautious” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $126.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $128.00 price objective (down from $137.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $131.88.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $103.70 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The business’s 50 day moving average is $113.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $121.24. The company has a market cap of $825.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.44, a P/E/G ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.61. Walmart has a 12 month low of $95.42 and a 12 month high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.83% and a net margin of 3.00%.The company had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $186.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.68 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Walmart will post 2.86 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total value of $1,435,203.96. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 125,067 shares in the company, valued at $14,985,527.94. This represents a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total value of $413,891.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 630,009 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $69,074,186.76. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 57,064 shares of company stock worth $6,697,788 over the last three months. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 57.4% during the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Montgomery Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Walmart during the second quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Sankala Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart reported adjusted earnings of $0.81 per share and revenue of $187.94 billion, beating consensus estimates of $0.74 and $186.62 billion, respectively. Revenue increased 5.9% year over year. Walmart earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Growth businesses remain strong: global e-commerce sales rose 23%, advertising revenue increased 38%, and global membership revenue grew 17%. These trends support the long-term investment case despite slower core-store growth. Walmart second-quarter highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart plans to use approximately $2.9 billion in tariff refunds to help lower prices, potentially strengthening its value proposition as consumers become more budget-conscious. The rollout of tap-to-pay, including Apple Pay and Google Pay, may also improve checkout convenience. Walmart tap to pay rollout
• Neutral Sentiment: Several analysts retained bullish ratings—including buy, outperform, and overweight—but lowered price targets after the earnings release. New targets range from $120 to $140, indicating analysts still see meaningful upside but have moderated their expectations.
• Negative Sentiment: U.S. comparable sales grew 2.6%, below expectations near 3.5%, marking Walmart’s weakest domestic comparable-sales growth in more than six years. Analysts cited weakness in health and wellness and questioned the trajectory of the core U.S. business.
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter guidance fell short of consensus: Walmart projected adjusted EPS of $0.62–$0.64 versus $0.68 expected and revenue of $183.1–$184.5 billion versus $188.2 billion expected. The timing of Flipkart’s promotional event is also expected to reduce quarterly sales growth by more than 100 basis points.
• Negative Sentiment: The stock’s elevated valuation increases sensitivity to any slowdown, while higher energy costs and consumer trade-offs are raising broader concerns about the health of U.S. retail spending.

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.