Visionary Wealth Advisors Invests $18.97 Million in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Visionary Wealth Advisors purchased a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 167,459 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $18,966,000. Walmart makes up 0.7% of Visionary Wealth Advisors’ portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $6,458,529,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Walmart by 188.1% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,199,907,000 after acquiring an additional 7,614,172 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG raised its stake in Walmart by 54.0% during the second quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 18,607,297 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,107,462,000 after acquiring an additional 6,525,224 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 6.8% in the fourth 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $592,848,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.34, for a total value of $308,386.00. Following the sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing 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 stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total transaction of $1,435,203.96. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 125,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,985,527.94. This represents a 8.74% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 77,292 shares of company stock worth $8,421,143. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s fiscal second-quarter results showed continued momentum beyond traditional store sales: revenue reached approximately $187.9 billion, global e-commerce grew 23%, and advertising revenue increased 38%. These higher-growth businesses could support future margins and cash flow. Walmart Growth Engine Hums
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentary continue to point to Walmart’s expanding e-commerce, digital advertising, memberships, convenience-led fulfillment, automation and AI initiatives as reasons the recent decline could represent a long-term buying opportunity. Walmart’s scale and value-focused pricing remain important competitive advantages. Walmart Continues to Grow Beyond Retail
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart settled a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit alleging that its pharmacies unlawfully contributed to the opioid epidemic. Resolving the case removes an overhang and reduces legal uncertainty, although the financial terms and any broader implications remain important for investors. Walmart Settles U.S. Opioid Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights a potentially tougher consumer environment. Walmart’s comparable sales growth was 3.4% excluding pharmacy-related items, while middle-income shoppers appear increasingly focused on necessities and limiting discretionary purchases. Walmart and Home Depot Results
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are also questioning whether Walmart’s valuation adequately reflects its strong performance. A high earnings multiple, slower core sales growth and the stock’s position below its moving averages have amplified the impact of the recent selloff. Walmart Selloff Analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Executive Vice President Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares worth approximately $5.3 million. The sale was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan to cover taxes on vested equity awards, making it a weaker bearish signal than discretionary insider selling. Walmart Insider Trading Filing

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Walmart to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $140.00 to $120.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 21st. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. BNP Paribas Exane reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 target price (down from $146.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Walmart from $141.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $131.88.

Walmart Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $103.09 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $111.90 and a 200 day simple moving average of $120.45. The firm has a market cap of $820.40 billion, a PE ratio of 37.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.90 and a beta of 0.61. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $95.79 and a 1 year high of $135.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $186.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.68 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 EPS for the current year.

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.