Roth Capital Has Pessimistic Outlook of Walmart Q1 Earnings

Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) – Research analysts at Roth Capital lowered their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Walmart in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, February 21st. Roth Capital analyst W. Kirk now anticipates that the retailer will earn $0.61 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.69. The consensus estimate for Walmart’s current full-year earnings is $2.55 per share. Roth Capital also issued estimates for Walmart’s Q2 2026 earnings at $0.72 EPS and Q2 2026 earnings at $0.72 EPS.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on the stock. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 price objective (up previously from $97.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 21st. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. StockNews.com lowered Walmart from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Walmart from $97.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Walmart from $113.00 to $112.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $103.07.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $97.81 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $785.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.55. Walmart has a 52 week low of $58.18 and a 52 week high of $105.30. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $95.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $87.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. SWAN Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 137.8% during the 4th quarter. SWAN Capital LLC now owns 1,384 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $125,000 after acquiring an additional 802 shares in the last quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,405,000. Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $1,309,000. Armis Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $2,859,000. Finally, Shufro Rose & Co. LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 13.4% during the fourth quarter. Shufro Rose & Co. LLC now owns 12,147 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,097,000 after purchasing an additional 1,440 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,600 shares of the company’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 transaction of $166,384.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 423,597 shares in the company, valued at approximately $44,049,852.03. This represents a 0.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,124 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.35, for a total transaction of $2,689,601.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 3,785,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $349,609,579.70. This represents a 0.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 146,528 shares of company stock worth $13,849,185. Corporate insiders own 45.58% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.96%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.00%.

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.