Walmart Stock: Is WMT Outperforming the Consumer Defensive Sector?

Core Insights - Walmart Inc. has a market capitalization of $829.7 billion and operates through three main segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club [1] - The company follows an everyday low price (EDLP) philosophy and an omni-channel strategy to enhance customer experience [2] Stock Performance - Walmart's shares have decreased over 5% from its 52-week high of $109.57, but have risen 7.5% over the past three months, outperforming the Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLP) which declined by 6.6% [3] - Year-to-date, Walmart's stock is up 15.2%, while XLP has seen a dip of 2.1%. Over the past 52 weeks, Walmart shares returned 15.1%, compared to XLP's 5.9% drop [4] Q3 2026 Performance - In Q3 2026, Walmart reported a revenue increase of 5.8% to $179.5 billion and adjusted EPS growth of 6.9% to $0.62, driven by strong e-commerce performance with global online sales up 27% and advertising revenue up 53% [5] - Walmart raised its fiscal 2026 guidance, expecting net sales growth of 4.8% - 5.1% and adjusted EPS of $2.58 - $2.63 [6] Analyst Sentiment - Analysts maintain a bullish outlook on Walmart, with a consensus rating of "Strong Buy" from 37 analysts and a mean price target of $118.46, indicating a potential upside of 13.8% from current levels [7]