Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. Boosts Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 1,352.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,141,116 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 1,062,529 shares during the period. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $141,816,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 57.4% in the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 193.0% during the 4th quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.19, for a total transaction of $342,751.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 574,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $67,953,695.07. The trade was a 0.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at 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 company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was 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 owned 125,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,985,527.94. The trade was a 8.74% 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 103,170 shares of company stock valued at $12,692,133. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

Walmart stock opened at $113.70 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $119.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $122.07. 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 stock has a market cap of $904.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.28 and a beta of 0.60. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $94.43 and a fifty-two week high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.66. The company had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.61 earnings per share. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart continues to benefit from strong momentum in higher-margin businesses such as advertising, membership, and e-commerce, which are growing faster than its core store operations and supporting the long-term growth story. Where Will Walmart Stock Be in 5 Years?
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart just announced its 53rd dividend increase, reinforcing its appeal as a defensive, income-producing stock for investors looking for steady cash returns. Walmart just declared its 53rd dividend increase
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage also highlights Walmart+ membership growth and faster delivery as drivers of recurring revenue and deeper customer engagement, which could help sustain sales momentum. Can Walmart+ Membership Keep WMT’s Growth Momentum Alive?

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 price target (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Tigress Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $155.00 price objective (up from $150.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 29th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, April 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.85.

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.