Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT – Free Report) by 13.4% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,850,595 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 335,786 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $323,157,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $49,015,626,000 after buying an additional 4,304,436 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $19,046,104,000 after buying an additional 2,242,364 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $11,426,753,000 after buying an additional 6,517,394 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth approximately $6,458,529,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in Walmart by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,626,852 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,526,238,000 after acquiring an additional 328,229 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In related news, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total transaction of $1,435,203.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 125,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,985,527.94. The trade was a 8.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total value of $1,308,670.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 120,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,300,550.91. The trade was a 8.38% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 54,164 shares of company stock valued at $6,389,402 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.
Walmart News Summary
- Positive Sentiment: Walmart enters the report with a strong earnings track record, having exceeded revenue expectations for 25 consecutive quarters. Analysts also see potential for another earnings beat, supported by e-commerce momentum and a growing contribution from Walmart Connect advertising. Walmart Q2 Preview
- Positive Sentiment: The company’s grocery leadership, expanding online business and higher-margin retail-media operations remain important long-term strengths. Advertising growth could help offset the cost of competitive pricing and faster delivery. DA Davidson also reiterated a Buy rating. Retail stagnates, ad dollars help Walmart stay the course
- Neutral Sentiment: Options traders expect a significant post-earnings move, highlighting elevated volatility and the possibility that results or guidance could materially change the stock’s near-term direction. Barchart data ahead of Walmart earnings
- Negative Sentiment: Thousands of price reductions may support customer traffic but could slow sales growth and pressure profit margins. Same-store sales momentum has moderated, increasing investor dependence on advertising and other higher-margin businesses. Walmart sales growth expected to slow
- Negative Sentiment: Several previews characterize WMT as expensive ahead of earnings, with a price-to-earnings ratio near 40 and a cautious outlook already weighing on sentiment. Investors may require a clear earnings or guidance upside to justify the valuation. Walmart valuation concern ahead of Q2 earnings
- Negative Sentiment: Walmart’s grocery advantage faces a margin test as shoppers increasingly purchase additional goods from Amazon, while elevated costs and cautious consumers could limit profitability. Walmart grocery margin test
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of analysts have issued reports on WMT shares. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $135.00 target price (down from $137.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Walmart from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Truist Financial set a $140.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, May 21st. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 price objective (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.50.
Walmart Price Performance
Shares of Walmart stock opened at $114.30 on Thursday. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $95.42 and a 1-year high of $135.15. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $114.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $121.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $909.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.11, a PEG ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 0.61.
Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.66. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.61 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 earnings per share for the current year.
Walmart Profile
Walmart is a multinational retail corporation that operates a broad portfolio of store formats and digital services. Its core business includes large-format supercenters, discount department stores, neighborhood grocery stores and a membership warehouse chain, Sam’s Club. The company’s merchandising mix covers groceries, household goods, apparel, electronics and pharmacy services, supplemented by private-label products and category-specific offerings. Walmart pairs its physical store network with online platforms and mobile applications to provide omnichannel shopping, fulfillment and delivery options for consumers and businesses.
The company was founded by Sam Walton, who opened the first store in Rogers, Arkansas in 1962; it is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Featured Stories
- Five stocks we like better than Walmart
- Bloom Energy’s AI Surge Meets a Valuation Reality Check
- Target Is Winning Shoppers Back—Can the Rally Reach $180?
- IonQ’s Space Contract Points to a New Frontier for Quantum Investors
- Is Apple’s AI Strategy Smarter Than Skeptics Think?
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WMT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT – Free Report).
Receive News & Ratings for Walmart Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Walmart and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
