Retail giant Walmart (WMT) is scheduled to announce its first-quarter results on May 21. Its stock is up nearly 20% this year driven by demand for its value groceries in these times of economic troubles as well as its expansion into technology such as Gen-Ai shopping tool Sparky.
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According to our TipRanks Options tool, traders are expecting a 2.07% move in either direction after the report.
What Wall Street Expects
Wall Street expects Walmart to post quarterly earnings of $0.65 per share in its upcoming report, which would represent a year-over-year increase of 6.6%. Its revenues are expected to come in at $174.06 billion, up 5.1% from the year-ago quarter.
Will Walmart beat these expectations? As can be seen below, it has a strong track record of doing just that in recent quarters.
What Do Analysts Say?
In its Q4 report, Walmart management set a cautious FY27 guide with sales growth of between 3.5-4.5%, citing risks like hiring softness, consumer sentiment, student loan delinquencies and tariff timing. It said that in terms of operating income Q1 could be the weakest quarter.
According to Danni Hewson Head of Financial Analysis at AJ Bell, the retail giant has become less of a bellwether for lower-income households as wealthier consumers are increasingly drawn to Walmart’s convenience, delivery and value proposition. That could therefore negate some of the benefits of being a value player in times of higher prices and uncertainty.
“New CEO John Furner sensibly lowered full year growth guidance in February but with the shares priced for perfection there is little room for unexpected hiccups,” she said. “The premium valuation reflects investors’ view that Walmart is no longer a ‘box’ retailer, but an AI-play. The company’s recent inclusion in the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 index supports this unfolding narrative.”
In addition, she said that selling services has become increasingly important for Walmart, with memberships reaching 30.7 million in early 2026, showing recurring revenues could cushion weaker discretionary spending.
Piper Sandler analyst Peter Keith this week raised his price target on WMT to $137 from $130 and kept an Overweight rating on the shares. While the market has gotten concerned about consumer discretionary spend – from higher gas prices – consumer spending has been resilient, he said. “Tax refunds were notable during Q1 but have shown no clear evidence of showing up at retail, and have likely been saved by middle/upper income cohorts. For home improvement, sluggish trends from Q4 appear to have continued,” he added.
Is WMT a Good Stock to Buy Now?
On TipRanks, WMT has a Strong Buy consensus based on 28 Buy and 2 Hold ratings. Its highest price target is $150. WMT stock’s consensus price target is $140.35, implying a 5.95% upside.
