Rakuten Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT – Free Report) by 11.2% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,216,599 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 122,056 shares during the period. Walmart comprises approximately 0.3% of Rakuten Investment Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 24th largest position. Rakuten Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $129,933,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 75.0% in the 3rd quarter. Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 61,981 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $6,441,000 after purchasing an additional 26,573 shares during the last quarter. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 82.9% in the 3rd quarter. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 17,496 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,818,000 after purchasing an additional 7,931 shares in the last quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC grew its position in Walmart by 8.1% during the 3rd quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC now owns 2,764 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $287,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. Integras Partners LLC grew its position in Walmart by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Integras Partners LLC now owns 30,993 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,221,000 after purchasing an additional 1,632 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lyell Wealth Management LP increased its stake in Walmart by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Lyell Wealth Management LP now owns 132,134 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $13,731,000 after purchasing an additional 2,451 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several brokerages have issued reports on WMT. Freedom Broker raised shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Tigress Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $155.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, August 31st. Finally, Gordon Haskett cut Walmart from a “buy” rating to an “accumulate” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $132.41.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Walmart
Walmart Price Performance
WMT opened at $124.86 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $990.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.08, a P/E/G ratio of 4.61 and a beta of 0.53. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $111.08 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $118.46. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $98.88 and a 52-week high of $135.15.
Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a net margin of 3.00% and a return on equity of 21.83%. The firm had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $186.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.68 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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, analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 EPS for the current year.
Key Walmart News
Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Walmart may be positioned to beat its next earnings estimates, according to Zacks, which points to its history of earnings surprises and factors supporting another potential beat. Why Walmart is Poised to Beat Earnings Estimates Again
- Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s expanded Sparky AI shopping assistant could support holiday sales by helping customers shop and potentially encouraging larger orders. Can Walmart’s Expanded Sparky AI Boost Holiday Shopping and Sales?
- Positive Sentiment: A report says Walmart’s e-commerce sales are growing faster than Amazon’s, suggesting its online business is gaining momentum. 1 Stat That Makes Walmart Hard to Ignore This November
- Neutral Sentiment: CTO Suresh Kumar sold 166,342 shares, and EVP Daniel Bartlett sold 3,346 shares. Both trades were made under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans; the sales may draw attention, but do not necessarily indicate a change in their views of the company. Kumar SEC filing Bartlett SEC filing
- Negative Sentiment: Bearish commentary highlights Walmart’s high valuation, with one article returning to a “strong sell” rating and another warning that the valuation may be stretched. Valuation concerns could weigh on sentiment even as the business outlook remains constructive. Walmart: Back To The Strong Sell Rating Walmart’s Defensive Reputation and Valuation
Insider Activity at Walmart
In other Walmart news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.00, for a total transaction of $575,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 110,432 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,699,680. The trade was a 4.33% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing 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 Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,990 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.41, for a total value of $416,595.90. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 618,359 shares in the company, valued at $64,562,863.19. The trade was a 0.64% 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 268,222 shares of company stock valued at $31,604,051 over the last quarter. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Walmart Company Profile
Walmart Inc (NASDAQ:WMT) operates a global retail business through a network of supercenters, supermarkets, discount stores, neighborhood markets, warehouse clubs and e-commerce platforms. Its stores and websites sell a broad assortment of merchandise, including groceries, consumables, health and wellness products, apparel, electronics, home goods, toys and other general merchandise.
The company organizes its operations into Walmart U.S., Walmart International and Sam’s Club U.S. Walmart U.S.
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