New York, February 19, 2026, 17:28 EST — After-hours
- Walmart slipped roughly 1.4%, changing hands near $124.87 in after-hours action. The retailer’s outlook for FY27 came in on the cautious side.
- The company’s outlook for FY27 adjusted EPS lands between $2.75 and $2.85. On top of that, it has greenlit a fresh $30 billion buyback program.
- Investors are eyeing early fiscal Q1 demand, with attention also fixed on the March 20 record date tied to the increased dividend.
Walmart dropped roughly 1.4% on Thursday, sliding to $124.87 in after-hours moves after the company’s new fiscal year forecast took the shine off its fourth-quarter beat. Shares traded between $121.94 and $130.00 during the session.
Walmart’s report has taken on outsized importance as a window into household budgets, particularly for lower-income consumers. A cautious note from the company often ripples through markets, prompting traders to tread carefully around big-box retail and the broader consumer staples sector.
Investors are chasing “defensive growth”—steady earnings even if shoppers pull back on non-essentials. Walmart’s been pushing quicker delivery, beefing up its online marketplace, and rolling out services aimed at juicing margins. Still, the Street wants to see that show up in the results.
Walmart posted a 5.6% jump in fourth-quarter revenue, coming in at $190.7 billion. Adjusted earnings landed at 74 cents a share, with GAAP EPS at 53 cents. Looking ahead to fiscal 2027, the retailer is targeting net sales growth of 3.5% to 4.5% in constant currency, and expects adjusted operating income to climb 6% to 8%. Constant currency figures exclude currency fluctuations. For the full year, Walmart is guiding for adjusted EPS between $2.75 and $2.85. The company also unveiled a fresh $30 billion share buyback plan. Adjusted EPS for the quarter did not account for a 21-cent per-share loss on equity and other investments.
Walmart’s U.S. division saw comparable sales climb 4.6% from a year earlier, excluding fuel. E-commerce sales jumped 27%. The retailer said transactions, also excluding fuel, rose 2.6%, while the average ticket increased 2.0%. Like-for-like inflation came in around 1.1%.
CEO John Furner told analysts that U.S. shoppers remain “choiceful,” adding that for households under $50,000, “wallets are stretched.” Fitch analyst David Silverman pointed to Walmart’s scale, saying it allows the company to “stand out” as more spending heads online. Russell Shor at Tradu flagged guidance that highlights a value-driven consumer, with little interest right now in pricier discretionary buys. Reuters, citing LSEG data, noted the profit outlook missed forecasts. Walmart shares have climbed around 20% in the last year, but slipped Thursday as investors weighed cautious commentary against momentum in e-commerce, advertising, and memberships—while competitors like Target are still having trouble with non-essential categories. Reuters
But here’s the catch: if lower-income customers tighten spending even more, Walmart retains shoppers by pushing harder on price—at the expense of margins. Any added pressure from wages, freight costs, or changes in trade policy could pinch a model that already operates with razor-thin markups.
Walmart’s board signed off on an annual dividend of $0.99 per share for fiscal 2027, representing a 5% boost from last year. Payments will come in four chunks of $0.2475 each. CFO John David Rainey called dividends a fixture in Walmart’s “diversified capital returns approach.” The first payout goes to shareholders of record as of March 20 and lands April 6, a date traders are already watching for next week. Walmart Corporate
