Nykredit A S purchased a new position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT – Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 947,807 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $107,349,000.
Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Sankala Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Copos Capital S.a r.l. bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Walmart News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Walmart is expanding restaurant delivery through a Dunkin’ partnership. The agreement adds Dunkin’ locations to Walmart’s three-month-old restaurant-delivery service, following its partnership with Subway. The move broadens Walmart’s convenience ecosystem and could increase delivery frequency, customer engagement and fee-based revenue while positioning the company against DoorDash and Uber Eats. Walmart Teams With Dunkin’ to Expand Restaurant Delivery
- Positive Sentiment: Walmart and Amazon are commercializing fraud-prevention tools. Turning security and scam-prevention capabilities into retail products could create new business opportunities and strengthen customer trust, though the financial impact for WMT is not yet clear. Amazon and Walmart Turn Fraud Prevention Into a Retail Product
- Positive Sentiment: Recent product launches continue to widen Walmart’s role in everyday spending. New offerings across fashion, groceries, health and home support the company’s strategy of increasing sales across multiple categories. Analysts remain constructive, including Tigress Financial’s reiterated Buy rating, although Walmart’s elevated earnings multiple limits room for disappointment. Is Walmart Undervalued Following Its Latest Product Launches?
- Neutral Sentiment: Haleon negotiated improved shelf placement at Walmart and Target. The arrangement could improve product visibility and shopper traffic in Walmart stores, but it primarily benefits Haleon and does not materially change Walmart’s earnings outlook. Haleon Secures Better Shelf Space at Walmart and Target
- Neutral Sentiment: Executive Daniel Bartlett sold 3,950 shares worth about $415,000. The sale reduced his holdings by only 0.63% and was conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan, making it a limited signal about management’s view of WMT. SEC Insider Trading Filing
- Negative Sentiment: The U.S. Department of Justice expanded its investigation into rising beef prices to Walmart and other large retailers. The inquiry creates potential legal, reputational and compliance risks, although the reports do not establish wrongdoing by Walmart. DOJ Expands Beef Price Investigation
Insider Buying and Selling
Analysts Set New Price Targets
WMT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Guggenheim set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $113.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. BTIG Research reduced their price target on shares of Walmart from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 price target (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Freedom Broker raised Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $131.88.
Walmart Stock Up 2.2%
Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $108.42 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $860.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.05 and a beta of 0.59. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $110.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $119.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $98.88 and a 12-month high of $135.15.
Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $186.64 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.83% and a net margin of 3.00%.Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.68 EPS. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 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.
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