DA Davidson Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Walmart Earnings

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) – Stock analysts at DA Davidson dropped their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Walmart in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, February 21st. DA Davidson analyst M. Baker now forecasts that the retailer will post earnings per share of $2.55 for the year, down from their previous estimate of $2.70. The consensus estimate for Walmart’s current full-year earnings is $2.55 per share. DA Davidson also issued estimates for Walmart’s FY2026 earnings at $2.55 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $2.81 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $2.81 EPS.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. StockNews.com cut Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $98.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays increased their target price on Walmart from $98.00 to $108.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Tigress Financial lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $86.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $103.07.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT stock opened at $97.81 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The company has a market capitalization of $785.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.59, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55. Walmart has a twelve month low of $58.18 and a twelve month high of $105.30. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $95.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $87.10.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $180.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $178.83 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 21.87%.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.96%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.00%.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.99, for a total value of $166,384.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 423,597 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $44,049,852.03. The trade was a 0.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.47, for a total value of $277,410.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 375,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $34,691,507.55. This represents a 0.79 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 146,528 shares of company stock valued at $13,849,185 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. FPC Investment Advisory Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Horizon Financial Services LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 1,007.7% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Financial Services LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 262 shares during the period. Fiduciary Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart in the third quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Decker Retirement Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, other units, and eCommerce worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club. It operates supercenters, supermarkets, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs, cash and carry stores, and discount stores under Walmart and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands; membership-only warehouse clubs; ecommerce websites, such as walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, PhonePe and other sites; and mobile commerce applications.