William John Sempolinski Makes New Investment in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Posted by Brenda Bartman on Sep 6th, 2026

Walmart logo William John Sempolinski purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT – Free Report) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm purchased 9,591 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,086,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Bell & Brown Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 2nd quarter worth about $6,451,000. Advisortrust Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 20.2% in the first quarter. Advisortrust Partners LLC now owns 67,142 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,344,000 after buying an additional 11,283 shares during the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA grew its holdings in Walmart by 253.3% during the first quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA now owns 384,034 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $47,728,000 after acquiring an additional 275,337 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its position in Walmart by 2.9% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 2,416,580 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $300,333,000 after acquiring an additional 68,632 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vise Technologies Inc. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 42.1% in the fourth quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 275,341 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $30,676,000 after acquiring an additional 81,635 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Walmart from $141.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Evercore set a $125.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. BTIG Research lowered their price target on shares of Walmart from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $113.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have given 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 a consensus target price of $131.88.

Read Our Latest Report on WMT

Trending Headlines about Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

Positive Sentiment: Dunkin’ delivery expands Walmart’s digital ecosystem. Walmart’s partnership with Dunkin’ adds restaurant delivery to its three-month-old service, broadening convenience offerings and giving the retailer another opportunity to increase customer engagement, order frequency and delivery revenue while competing with DoorDash and Uber Eats. Walmart Shoppers Can Now Get Dunkin’ Delivered
Positive Sentiment: Fraud prevention could become an additional retail technology opportunity. Walmart’s work with Amazon on fraud prevention highlights its efforts to protect shoppers and potentially develop technology and services that improve trust, retention and the economics of digital commerce. Amazon and Walmart Turn Fraud Prevention Into a Retail Product
Neutral Sentiment: Retail comparisons show Walmart remains a key consumer bellwether. Recent large-format retailer results point to a divided, or “K-shaped,” consumer economy: higher-income shoppers continue spending in some discretionary categories, while value-focused consumers face pressure from elevated grocery costs. This creates both traffic opportunities and potential margin challenges for Walmart. Retail Earnings Expose a Bigger Divide in the U.S. Consumer Economy
Neutral Sentiment: Haleon’s improved shelf placement reinforces Walmart’s importance to suppliers. Better positioning for Haleon brands such as Sensodyne may support product visibility and sales, though the report primarily benefits Haleon and does not materially change Walmart’s financial outlook. Haleon Secures Better Shelf Space at Walmart
Negative Sentiment: Tariff and margin concerns are weighing on the investment case. Mixed retail results suggest Walmart may face pressure balancing value pricing with higher product costs, while its elevated earnings multiple leaves less room for execution disappointments.
Negative Sentiment: Regulatory scrutiny adds an overhang. The Department of Justice’s investigation into rising beef prices has expanded to Walmart and other retailers. No wrongdoing has been established, but the inquiry creates potential legal, reputational and compliance risks.
Neutral Sentiment: An executive share sale was limited and prearranged. EVP Daniel Bartlett sold 3,950 shares worth approximately $415,000 under a Rule 10b5-1 plan, reducing his direct holdings by only 0.63%; the transaction is therefore a weak trading signal. Daniel Bartlett Sells Walmart Shares

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total value of $1,435,203.96. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 125,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,985,527.94. This trade represents a 8.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Christopher Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.34, for a total transaction of $308,386.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 569,153 shares in the company, valued at $60,523,730.02. This represents a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 81,242 shares of company stock worth $8,836,446 in the last ninety days. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walmart Stock Down 1.2%

Walmart stock opened at $107.14 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $850.02 billion, a PE ratio of 38.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.09 and a beta of 0.59. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $110.81 and a 200-day simple moving average of $119.62. 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.83% and a net margin of 3.00%.The firm had revenue of $187.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $186.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.68 EPS. The business’s 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. On average, analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.