Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Acquired by Kestra Advisory Services LLC

Kestra Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 7.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 936,866 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 67,412 shares during the quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $116,434,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $6,458,529,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 188.1% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,199,907,000 after buying an additional 7,614,172 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $11,426,753,000 after acquiring an additional 6,517,394 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $592,848,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Walmart by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $49,015,626,000 after acquiring an additional 4,304,436 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total value of $413,891.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 630,009 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,074,186.76. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 125,067 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,985,527.94. The trade was a 8.74% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 104,505 shares of company stock worth $12,858,514 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on WMT. Tigress Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $155.00 price objective (up from $150.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Guggenheim boosted their target price on Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their target price on Walmart from $147.00 to $146.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.85.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ WMT traded up $1.69 during trading on Friday, reaching $113.90. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 12,452,368 shares, compared to its average volume of 21,901,888. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $120.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $121.96. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $94.23 and a twelve month high of $135.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market cap of $906.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.97, a P/E/G ratio of 4.18 and a beta of 0.60.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.61 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is rolling out more wellness benefits at Sam’s Club, including Weight Watchers perks, which could deepen member loyalty, support renewals, and boost recurring membership revenue. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is also getting attention for broad price cuts across groceries and household staples, which should help reinforce its reputation as a defensive, inflation-fighting retailer and drive traffic to stores and clubs. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer said Walmart is one of the “greatest companies on earth” and called the recent pullback an “incredible buying opportunity,” helping support sentiment around the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary around Walmart’s health event and its AI shopping efforts highlights longer-term strategic investments, but these items are more thematic than immediate catalysts for the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage comparing Walmart’s AI shopping race with Amazon underscores competitive pressure in retail tech, but it does not point to any near-term operational setback for Walmart. Article Title

Walmart Company 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.