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 , 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 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.