NEW YORK, Feb 17, 2026, 11:14 (EST) — Regular session rolls on
- Walmart dropped roughly 2.6% in late morning trading, lagging behind the bulk of its retail competitors.
- Evercore ISI is bracing for a conservative tone on Walmart’s full-year outlook as the company gets set to report later this week.
- Thursday’s results are on investors’ radar, with the focus squarely on U.S. consumer spending and how margins are shaping up.
Walmart Inc. shares dropped 2.6% Tuesday, with Evercore ISI warning that the retailer might offer a cautious full-year forecast later this week. By late morning, the stock had fallen $3.55 to $130.34.
Walmart has emerged as a standout in early 2026, drawing investors chasing stable results while tech stocks remain volatile. Shares have climbed roughly 20% this year, pushing its market cap past $1 trillion and cementing its spot as the consumer staples sector’s heavyweight, according to Reuters.
Walmart will report earnings before Thursday’s opening bell, with results slated for release at about 6 a.m. Central, based on the company’s events page. The earnings call kicks off an hour later, at 7 a.m. Central.
Wall Street’s major indexes slipped in a bumpy session dominated by tech, with investors uneasy about ongoing AI disruption. “You are seeing a rebalance… it’s natural,” said Stash Graham, chief investment officer at Graham Capital Wealth Management. Reuters
Evercore ISI analysts are looking for “solid” Q4 numbers from Walmart, but in a note, they flagged the risk that the retailer’s first pass at full-year guidance might play it safe. They’re estimating annual earnings guidance in the $2.80 to $2.90 range per share—about 3% to 5% shy of the Street’s midpoint view. The firm put the stock on its short-term underperform list going into the report. Investing
Walmart trailed several rivals after the slide. Costco Wholesale dropped roughly 0.5%, Target eased off by about 0.6%, and Kroger lost around 1.4%. Amazon.com, on the other hand, saw shares up about 0.8% late in the morning.
The numbers arrive Thursday, just as CEO John Furner settles into the role following Walmart’s leadership shakeup on Feb. 1, according to both the company and Reuters.
Bulls face a clear risk here. The stock’s been riding high, but that sets the bar. If the outlook lands on the cautious side—or there’s the slightest sign of margin squeeze from wages, discounting, or supply chain costs—the pullback could be swift. Investors have leaned on this name for stability. Grocery and essentials are still a dogfight, and if shoppers cut back on non-necessities, it won’t take long for cracks to appear.
Walmart reports Thursday. Investors want to see what the retail giant says about demand for the new fiscal year, and whether profit growth is still possible if it keeps its prices where they are.
