Why Walmart Stock's a Buy After Its Beat-And-Raise Quarter
Walmart is the best Dow Jones stock Tuesday after the retail giant's solid earnings report and outlook. Wall Street thinks it's just getting started.


Walmart (WMT) is the best Dow Jones stock Tuesday after the retail giant beat top- and bottom-line expectations for its fiscal 2025 third quarter and raised its full-year outlook.
In the three months ended October 31, Walmart's revenue increased 5.5% year over year to $169.6 billion, including a 27% jump in global e-commerce sales. Its earnings per share (EPS) improved 13.7% from the year-ago period to 58 cents. At Walmart U.S. and Sam's Club, comparable-store sales rose 5.1% and 3.7%, respectively, excluding fuel.
"We had a strong quarter, continuing our momentum," said Walmart CEO Doug McMillon in a statement. "In the U.S., in-store volumes grew, pickup from store grew faster, and delivery from store grew even faster than that."

Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
The results beat analysts' expectations. Wall Street was anticipating revenue of $167.7 billion and earnings of 53 cents per share, according to Yahoo Finance.
As a result of its performance in the first nine months of the year, Walmart raised its full-year outlook. The company now expects to achieve revenue growth in the range of 4.8% to 5.1% and EPS between $2.42 to $2.47. This is up from its previous outlook for revenue growth in the range of 3.75% to 4.75% and earnings per share of $2.35 to $2.43.
"Our teams are executing and delighting our customers and members with the value and convenience they expect from Walmart," McMillon said.
"The company is simply a juggernaut. This quarter was the epitome of what type of company WMT is trying to become as the strong beat and rise was driven by omni-channel momentum," says David Wagner, portfolio manager at Aptus Capital Advisors. "This industry is starting to become more bifurcated between the 'has beens' and the 'winners' and WMT, alongside Amazon (AMZN) and Costco (COST), are biggest winners as they've skated to where the puck is going in the retail space."
Is Walmart stock a buy, sell or hold?
Walmart has turned in a stellar performance on the price charts, up 67% for the year to date on a total return basis (price change plus dividends). This easily outperforms the S&P 500's total return of 25%. Unsurprisingly, Wall Street is bullish on the blue chip stock.
According to S&P Global Market Intelligence, the average analyst target price for WMT stock is $87.64, representing implied upside of just over 2% from current levels. Additionally, the consensus recommendation is Buy.
Financial services firm Jefferies is one of the most bullish outfits on the consumer staples stock with a Buy rating and a Street-high $100 price target.
"WMT is scaling its investments in tech and e-commerce, and continued price investment has positioned it for future share gains," said Jefferies analyst Corey Tarlowe in a November 15 note. "Overall, we expect WMT to command an increasingly large share of customer spending through bolstered omnichannel capabilities, partnerships, and services. This justifies above-historical-average growth."
Related Content
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.

Joey Solitro is a freelance financial journalist at Kiplinger with more than a decade of experience. A longtime equity analyst, Joey has covered a range of industries for media outlets including The Motley Fool, Seeking Alpha, Market Realist, and TipRanks. Joey holds a bachelor's degree in business administration.
-
Last Call for Fortnite Refunds: Parents Can Still File a Claim
The FTC is sending out $126 million in refunds to families whose kids were charged for unwanted items in Fortnite — and there’s still time to file a claim.
-
Stock Market Today: Stocks Swing as Trump Scraps Canada Trade Talks
Despite a mid-afternoon slip, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq ended the day at new record highs.
-
Stock Market Today: Stocks Swing as Trump Scraps Canada Trade Talks
Despite a mid-afternoon slip, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq ended the day at new record highs.
-
Why Smart Retirees Are Ditching Traditional Financial Plans
Financial plans based purely on growth, like the 60/40 portfolio, are built for a different era. Today’s retirees need plans based on real-life risks and goals and that feature these four elements.
-
To My Small Business: Well, I've Been Afraid of Changin', 'Cause I've Built My Life Around You
While thinking about succession planning might feel like anticipating a landslide (here's to you, Fleetwood Mac), there are strategies you can implement to manage the uncertainty and the transition.
-
Stock Market Today: S&P 500, Nasdaq Near New Highs
The S&P 500 hasn't hit a new high since February. It's been since December for the Nasdaq.
-
The Bull Case for the Second Half of 2025
This strategist sees a volatile market segueing to a strong close this year.
-
7 Essential Investing Rules We All Should Know
The best time to start investing is right now. That's just one vital rule investors should be familiar with. Here are six more.
-
These Are the Key Tariff Issues to Watch in Coming Months
While they're not dominating headlines right now, tariffs are not over. Some key dates are coming up fast that could upend markets all over again.
-
Technology Unleashes the Power of Year-Round Tax-Loss Harvesting
Tech advancements have made it possible to continuously monitor and rebalance portfolios, allowing for harvesting losses throughout the year rather than just once a year.