In the latest close session, Walmart (WMT) was down 1.61% at $110.39. The stock fell short of the S&P 500, which registered a gain of 0.89% for the day. At the same time, the Dow added 0.74%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 1.29%.
The stock of world's largest retailer has fallen by 4.25% in the past month, lagging the Retail-Wholesale sector's gain of 1.33% and the S&P 500's loss of 0.63%.
Market participants will be closely following the financial results of Walmart in its upcoming release. The company plans to announce its earnings 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.
For the annual period, the Zacks Consensus Estimates anticipate earnings of $2.89 per share and a revenue of $750.01 billion, signifying shifts of +9.47% and +5.17%, respectively, from the last 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. Consequently, upward revisions in estimates express analysts' positivity towards the business operations and its ability to generate profits.
Our research reveals that these estimate alterations are directly linked with the stock price performance in the near future. To take advantage of this, we've established the Zacks Rank, an exclusive model that considers these estimated changes and delivers an operational rating system.
The Zacks Rank system, stretching from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has a noteworthy track record of outperforming, validated by third-party audits, with stocks rated #1 producing an average annual return of +25% since the year 1988. Over the past month, there's been a 0.11% rise in the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. Walmart is currently a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
From a valuation perspective, Walmart is currently exchanging hands at a Forward P/E ratio of 38.84. This signifies a premium in comparison to the average Forward P/E of 13.86 for its industry.
Meanwhile, WMT's PEG ratio is currently 4.18. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. WMT's industry had an average PEG ratio of 1.94 as of yesterday's close.
The Retail - Supermarkets industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. At present, this industry carries a Zacks Industry Rank of 229, placing it within the bottom 7% of over 250 industries.
The strength of our individual industry groups is measured by the Zacks Industry Rank, which is calculated based on the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within these groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
To follow WMT in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com.
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Walmart Inc. (WMT): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).