New York, May 18, 2026, 11:02 EDT
Walmart shares gained Monday as several Wall Street analysts bumped up price targets, putting attention on the retailer ahead of its fiscal first-quarter earnings later this week.
Walmart is set to report results at 6 a.m. CDT Thursday. CEO John Furner and CFO John David Rainey will hold a call with investors at 7 a.m. The update comes as investors watch for signs that the retailer’s grocery-focused business, digital sales and ad segment can withstand pressure from rising fuel and food prices hitting some U.S. shoppers.
Walmart got price target hikes from Evercore ISI and Jefferies, MT Newswires reported on MarketScreener. Evercore ISI moved its target up to $140 from $135 and stuck with “outperform”. Jefferies set its price at $150, up from $145, and kept its “buy” call. Walmart shares were up 0.8% to $132.48 at 11:01 a.m. EDT. That puts the stock up about 18.8% this year. MarketScreener
More analysts are boosting Walmart targets after moves flagged by TipRanks. Piper Sandler’s Peter Keith lifted his target to $137 from $130, Bernstein’s Zhihan Ma took his up to $145 from $134, and UBS analyst Michael Lasser reaffirmed buy at $147. Lasser sees Walmart U.S. comparable sales up about 4.5%. He says e-commerce could jump more than 25%.
Walmart is expected to report adjusted earnings of $0.66 per share on revenue of around $174.81 billion, according to analysts surveyed by TipRanks. That’s a touch higher than Walmart’s own February forecast for adjusted earnings per share of $0.63 to $0.65. Net sales are seen up 3.5% to 4.5% in constant currency, or not counting exchange-rate shifts.
U.S. retail sales were up 0.5% in April, according to Census Bureau data released last week. Reuters noted that part of the sales bump was likely due to higher prices, not actual volume. “The powerful equity market rally is supporting spending on the upper leg of the K-shaped expansion,” said Sal Guatieri, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets. But he pointed out that lower-income shoppers still see rising fuel, transport and food costs. Reuters
Walmart is using its size, grocery business, membership income, ads and quicker shipping to keep margins up. The company reported in February that global e-commerce sales jumped 24% in the fourth quarter. Its global ad business was up 37%. Walmart Connect sales in the U.S. rose 41%.
Amazon and Walmart are both pushing to make online delivery faster in rural parts of the U.S., Fortune and the Associated Press reported. Morgan Stanley analysts think annual retail spending in those areas could hit $1 trillion. About 90% of people there live less than 10 miles from a Walmart.
Home Depot reports first-quarter earnings Tuesday at 9 a.m. ET. The call may show how much households are spending on home improvement and big-ticket items.
Risks are still there. Higher energy costs, weaker spending from lower-income shoppers, or less demand in health and wellness might make it tougher for Walmart to top high expectations. Reuters cited EY-Parthenon senior economist Lydia Boussour, who said more shoppers are turning to savings and credit to keep up spending, a pattern she thinks is harder to keep going, especially for lower-income households.
Walmart is still seen as a clear read on retail for now. Thursday’s report will show if that reputation holds up after the stock’s recent rally.
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