Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) Given Consensus Rating of “Buy” by Brokerages

18 Apr 2026, 10:11 by Michael Walen · The Markets Daily

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT – Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of “Buy” from the thirty-four analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, thirty have given a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $137.6364.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on WMT shares. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $140.00 target price (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 9th. 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. Craig Hallum set a $150.00 price target on Walmart in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 14th.

View Our Latest Stock Report on WMT

Walmart Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $127.50 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $125.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $115.87. The stock has a market cap of $1.02 trillion, a PE ratio of 46.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. Walmart has a 52-week low of $91.34 and a 52-week high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT – Get Free Report) last issued 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. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.66 EPS. Walmart’s quarterly 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. Equities research analysts forecast that Walmart will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Investors of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid a $0.2475 dividend. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.13%.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

Positive Sentiment: Company announces its largest U.S. store modernization program — 650+ remodels and ~20 new openings through 2027 to improve layouts, tech, pickup and delivery integration, aimed at accelerating omnichannel sales and same-store traffic. Walmart Modernizes U.S. Stores As Omnichannel Investment Meets Fair Value Estimates
Positive Sentiment: Walmart is expanding health/weight-management services (Better Care Services) to support customers using or exploring GLP-1s — a higher-margin service layer that can drive pharmacy and virtual-care revenue and deepen customer engagement. Walmart Expands Access to Weight Management Support Services for Customers on or exploring GLP-1s
Positive Sentiment: Flipkart (Walmart-owned) plans to enter India’s ticketing market for movies and live events, offering a new revenue stream in a fast-growing entertainment sector and strengthening Flipkart’s consumer proposition. Walmart’s Flipkart plans foray into India’s ticketing market as live events boom
Positive Sentiment: A small institutional buyer (BCS Wealth Management) increased its WMT stake, a sign of incremental fund interest though not a major ownership shift. BCS Wealth Management Has $1.61 Million Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT
Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is refreshing its Great Value private-label packaging — a brand update that can support shelf appeal and private-label mix but is unlikely to move near-term revenue materially. Walmart announces a redesign of its Great Value brand
Neutral Sentiment: Walmart launched branded fashion collaborations (e.g., a Devil Wears Prada collection) — useful for marketing and traffic but unlikely to be a major earnings driver. Fashion moves: Walmart launches a collection tied to The Devil Wears Prada
Neutral Sentiment: Commentary on potential Sam’s Club membership fee increases could help U.S. club margins if implemented, but the competitive impact vs. Costco remains uncertain. Will Increased Membership Fees at Walmart’s Sam’s Club Actually Boost Costco’s Stock Instead?
Negative Sentiment: Several senior executives sold shares over April 15–16 (EVPs Daniel Bartlett and Christopher Nicholas, and CEO John Furner). Each sale was small relative to holdings and executed under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, but the headline risk can create short-term selling pressure or negative investor perception. Daniel J. Bartlett Form 4 Christopher James Nicholas Form 4 John R. Furner Form 4

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total value of $2,313,804.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,274,856 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $509,434,589.52. The trade was a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.96, for a total transaction of $1,600,725.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 687,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $83,821,522.52. This trade represents a 1.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 263,376 shares of company stock valued at $32,598,466. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 28.8% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,868,000 after buying an additional 21,939 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $800,000 after buying an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Wealth Management raised its position in shares of Walmart by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Peterson Wealth Management now owns 50,307 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,416,000 after buying an additional 1,715 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 0.9% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 13,008 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,272,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its holdings in Walmart by 1.2% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 91,341 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,931,000 after acquiring an additional 1,048 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.