Why Walmart (WMT) Outpaced the Stock Market Today

Walmart (WMT) ended the recent trading session at $114.53, demonstrating a +1.29% change from the preceding day's closing price. The stock outperformed the S&P 500, which registered a daily gain of 0.65%. Meanwhile, the Dow experienced a rise of 0.48%, and the technology-dominated Nasdaq saw an increase of 0.82%. Prior to today's trading, shares of the world's largest retailer had lost 2.12% lagged the Retail-Wholesale sector's gain of 4.29% and the S&P 500's gain of 1.15%.Investors will be eagerly watching for the performance of Walmart in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company's earnings report is set to be unveiled on February 19, 2026. It is anticipated that the company will report an EPS of $0.72, marking a 9.09% rise compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Simultaneously, our latest consensus estimate expects the revenue to be $190.18 billion, showing a 5.33% escalation compared to the year-ago quarter. Regarding the entire year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates forecast earnings of $2.63 per share and revenue of $711.98 billion, indicating changes of +4.78% and +4.55%, respectively, compared to the previous year. Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for Walmart. These latest adjustments often mirror the shifting dynamics of short-term business patterns. Therefore, positive revisions in estimates convey analysts' confidence in the business performance and profit potential. Our research reveals that these estimate alterations are directly linked with the stock price performance in the near future. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable 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, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate remained stagnant. Walmart is currently a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Investors should also note Walmart's current valuation metrics, including its Forward P/E ratio of 42.97. This expresses a premium compared to the average Forward P/E of 15.07 of its industry. It is also worth noting that WMT currently has a PEG ratio of 5.22. The PEG ratio is akin to the commonly utilized P/E ratio, but this measure also incorporates the company's anticipated earnings growth rate. The Retail - Supermarkets industry had an average PEG ratio of 2.17 as trading concluded yesterday. The Retail - Supermarkets industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. Currently, this industry holds a Zacks Industry Rank of 175, positioning it in the bottom 29% of all 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. Make sure to utilize Zacks.com to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and more, in the coming trading sessions. Free Report: Profiting from the 2nd Wave of AI ExplosionThe next phase of the AI explosion is poised to create significant wealth for investors, especially those who get in early. It will add literally trillion of dollars to the economy and revolutionize nearly every part of our lives.Investors who bought shares like Nvidia at the right time have had a shot at huge gains.But the rocket ride in the "first wave" of AI stocks may soon come to an end. The sharp upward trajectory of these stocks will begin to level off, leaving exponential growth to a new wave of cutting-edge companies.Zacks' AI Boom 2.0: The Second Wave report reveals 4 under-the-radar companies that may soon be shining stars of AI’s next leap forward.Access AI Boom 2.0 now, absolutely free >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Walmart Inc. (WMT): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks