In the latest close session, Walmart (WMT) was up +2.07% at $111.74. The stock outpaced the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.02%. On the other hand, the Dow registered a gain of 0.51%, and the technology-centric Nasdaq decreased by 0.18%.
Heading into today, shares of the world's largest retailer had lost 5.38% over the past month, lagging the Retail-Wholesale sector's loss of 1.33% and the S&P 500's gain of 0.77%.
The upcoming earnings release of Walmart will be of great interest to investors. The company's earnings report is expected on August 20, 2026. The company's earnings per share (EPS) are projected to be $0.74, reflecting a 8.82% increase from the same quarter last year. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $186.4 billion, up 5.07% from the year-ago period.
In terms of the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates predict earnings of $2.89 per share and a revenue of $750.01 billion, indicating changes of +9.47% and +5.17%, respectively, from the former year.
Investors should also take note of any recent adjustments to analyst estimates for Walmart. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. Therefore, positive revisions in estimates convey analysts' confidence in the business performance and profit potential.
Empirical research indicates that these revisions in estimates have a direct correlation with impending stock price performance. To utilize this, we have created the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model that integrates these estimate changes and provides a functional rating system.
The Zacks Rank system, spanning from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), boasts an impressive track record of outperformance, audited externally, with #1 ranked stocks yielding an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, there's been no change in the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. Right now, Walmart possesses a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).
Investors should also note Walmart's current valuation metrics, including its Forward P/E ratio of 37.9. This denotes a premium relative to the industry average Forward P/E of 14.2.
Also, we should mention that WMT has a PEG ratio of 4.08. The PEG ratio is akin to the commonly utilized P/E ratio, but this measure also incorporates the company's anticipated earnings growth rate. As of the close of trade yesterday, the Retail - Supermarkets industry held an average PEG ratio of 2.02.
The Retail - Supermarkets industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 223, putting it in the bottom 10% of all 250+ industries.
The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the vigor of our specific industry groups by computing the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks incorporated in the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
You can find more information on all of these metrics, and much more, on Zacks.com.
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Walmart Inc. (WMT): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).