Walmart has a chance to grow its market share in the grocery business, which could boost the stock in a big way, according to Piper Sandler. The firm upgraded the retail giant to overweight from neutral Monday and raised its price target to $210 per share from $145. Piper Sandler’s new forecast represents nearly 32% upside from Monday’s $159.30 close. Analyst Edward Yruma said the company will benefit as grocery inflation eases, allowing it to take more market share in the space. “While we think intuitive logic dictates that WMT is well positioned during an inflationary period (trade down), we believe that a gradual intensification of promos augurs well for WMT given its sharp focus on price, and we raise our estimates accordingly,” Yruma said. The analyst added Walmart is also stepping up rollback efforts on grocery store items in an effort to best competitors on prices, which is likely to continue as younger consumers become more cost conscious as student loan payments are set to resume. “We think vendors are increasingly facing pressure on volumes (in part, due to private label share gains) and are using rollbacks in an effort to regain share. Our store checks point to a significant y/y increase in rollbacks, and we think this will intensify,” Yruma said. Walmart stock has climbed more than 12% in 2023. Yruma’s upgrade puts him in line with the majority of analysts. Refinitiv data shows 37 of the 44 analysts covering the stock have either a buy or strong buy rating on it. WMT YTD mountain Walmart stock has added more than 12% from the start of the year. — CNBC’s Michael Bloom contributed to this report.
