Walmart (WMT) Stock Falls Amid Market Uptick: What Investors Need to Know

Walmart (WMT) closed the most recent trading day at $113.26, moving -1.17% from the previous trading session. The stock trailed the S&P 500, which registered a daily gain of 0.79%. At the same time, the Dow added 0.26%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 1.52%.

The world's largest retailer's stock has climbed by 0% in the past month, exceeding the Retail-Wholesale sector's loss of 5.08% and the S&P 500's loss of 1.82%.

The investment community will be closely monitoring the performance of Walmart in its forthcoming earnings report. The company is scheduled to release its earnings on August 20, 2026. In that report, analysts expect Walmart to post earnings of $0.74 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 8.82%. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $186.4 billion, up 5.07% from the year-ago period.

For the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $2.89 per share and a revenue of $750 billion, representing changes of +9.47% and +5.17%, respectively, from the prior year.

Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for Walmart. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. Consequently, upward revisions in estimates express analysts' positivity towards the business operations and its ability to generate profits.

Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-term stock moves. 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, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.11% higher. Currently, Walmart is carrying a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

In the context of valuation, Walmart is at present trading with a Forward P/E ratio of 39.67. This represents a premium compared to its industry average Forward P/E of 13.62.

One should further note that WMT currently holds a PEG ratio of 4.27. 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. As of the close of trade yesterday, the Retail - Supermarkets industry held an average PEG ratio of 1.95.

The Retail - Supermarkets industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This industry, currently bearing a Zacks Industry Rank of 215, finds itself in the bottom 12% echelons of all 250+ industries.

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The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Remember to apply Zacks.com to follow these and more stock-moving metrics during the upcoming trading sessions.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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