Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT – Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 5,441 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $616,000.
Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the first quarter worth $29,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Walmart by 57.4% in the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Sankala Group LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several equities research analysts have commented on WMT shares. Roth Capital restated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Walmart to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Truist Financial set a $114.00 target price on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $131.88.
Walmart Stock Performance
Shares of WMT opened at $103.09 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock has a market cap of $820.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.22, a PEG ratio of 3.90 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a 50-day moving average of $111.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $120.45. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $95.79 and a 12-month high of $135.15.
Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a net margin of 3.00% and a return on equity of 21.83%. The business had revenue of $187.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $186.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.68 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Walmart News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s fiscal second-quarter results showed continued momentum beyond traditional store sales: revenue reached approximately $187.9 billion, global e-commerce grew 23%, and advertising revenue increased 38%. These higher-growth businesses could support future margins and cash flow. Walmart Growth Engine Hums
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentary continue to point to Walmart’s expanding e-commerce, digital advertising, memberships, convenience-led fulfillment, automation and AI initiatives as reasons the recent decline could represent a long-term buying opportunity. Walmart’s scale and value-focused pricing remain important competitive advantages. Walmart Continues to Grow Beyond Retail
- Neutral Sentiment: Walmart settled a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit alleging that its pharmacies unlawfully contributed to the opioid epidemic. Resolving the case removes an overhang and reduces legal uncertainty, although the financial terms and any broader implications remain important for investors. Walmart Settles U.S. Opioid Lawsuit
- Negative Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights a potentially tougher consumer environment. Walmart’s comparable sales growth was 3.4% excluding pharmacy-related items, while middle-income shoppers appear increasingly focused on necessities and limiting discretionary purchases. Walmart and Home Depot Results
- Negative Sentiment: Investors are also questioning whether Walmart’s valuation adequately reflects its strong performance. A high earnings multiple, slower core sales growth and the stock’s position below its moving averages have amplified the impact of the recent selloff. Walmart Selloff Analysis
- Negative Sentiment: Executive Vice President Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares worth approximately $5.3 million. The sale was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan to cover taxes on vested equity awards, making it a weaker bearish signal than discretionary insider selling. Walmart Insider Trading Filing
Insider Buying and Selling
In other news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.34, for a total value of $308,386.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 569,153 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $60,523,730.02. The trade was a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.35, for a total value of $5,335,345.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 201,672 shares in the company, valued at $21,246,145.20. This represents a 20.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold a total of 77,292 shares of company stock worth $8,421,143 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.
About Walmart
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.
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