Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Stock Price Up 1.3% – Still a Buy?

23 Apr 2026, 19:36 by Amy Steele · The Cerbat Gem

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT – Get Free Report) shares rose 1.3% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $129.77 and last traded at $129.60. Approximately 17,281,609 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 39% from the average daily volume of 28,519,215 shares. The stock had previously closed at $127.92.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

Positive Sentiment: Walmart filed its 2026 Annual Report and proxy; CEO John Furner’s first shareholder letter emphasizes investments in associates and AI-powered solutions — a strategic message that supports growth and margin improvement expectations. Walmart Releases 2026 Annual Report and Proxy Statement
Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target to $140 and kept an “overweight” rating, signaling analyst confidence and providing near-term buy-side momentum. Benzinga
Positive Sentiment: Walmart announced Upstream Facility Services, a move into maintenance services for businesses that diversifies revenue and leverages Walmart’s scale — a potential long-term margin and revenue tailwind. Walmart Inc. (WMT) Diversifies Beyond Retail Into Maintenance Services
Positive Sentiment: Sam’s Club rolled out a one-hour express delivery option for members, increasing competitive pressure on Costco and supporting same‑store sales and membership value propositions. Faster fulfillment reinforces Walmart’s omnichannel advantage. Walmart’s warehouse club ups the pressure on Costco with a new member perk
Positive Sentiment: Analysts maintain a bullish tilt: consensus rating is “Buy,” which helps underpin investor confidence and supports outperformance versus broader market weakness. Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) Given Consensus Rating of “Buy” by Analysts
Neutral Sentiment: Industry analysis highlights a strategic race — Amazon and Walmart competing to own the “decision layer” of retail — underlining both opportunity and intense competition in tech-driven merchandising and personalization. Amazon and Walmart Race to Capture Retail’s Decision Layer First
Negative Sentiment: Macro/competitive perspective pieces note Visa’s faster market-cap growth versus Walmart, a reminder that Walmart faces valuation pressure relative to higher-growth financial/tech peers — this frames longer-term upside as more execution-dependent. One Year Later: We Predicted Visa Would Overtake Walmart. Here’s Where That Stands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. DA Davidson set a $150.00 target price on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $138.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $138.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $137.79.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Walmart

Walmart Trading Up 1.6%

The company’s fifty day moving average is $125.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $116.53. The stock has a market cap of $1.05 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.19, a PEG ratio of 4.83 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 (NASDAQ:WMT – Get Free Report) last issued 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. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $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. On average, research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $0.2475 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total value of $4,158,004.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 533,466 shares in the company, valued at $65,082,852. This trade represents a 6.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.71, for a total transaction of $2,460,201.36. Following the sale, the director owned 4,023,209 shares in the company, valued at $509,780,812.39. The trade was a 0.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 243,960 shares of company stock valued at $30,284,661. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Collier Financial acquired a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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