MW Advisory LLC Invests $1.31 Million in Walmart Inc. $WMT

MW Advisory LLC bought a new position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 11,552 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,308,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp increased its position in Walmart by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $19,046,104,000 after purchasing an additional 2,242,364 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $11,426,753,000 after buying an additional 6,517,394 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in Walmart during the second quarter valued at approximately $7,455,131,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $6,458,529,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,626,852 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,526,238,000 after buying an additional 328,229 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on WMT. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $130.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Oppenheimer restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, August 25th. Freedom Capital raised shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Walmart from $147.00 to $132.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Gordon Haskett lowered Walmart from a “buy” rating to an “accumulate” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Three research 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $131.88.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $107.14 on Friday. The company 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 firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $110.81 and a 200-day simple moving average of $119.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $98.88 and a twelve month high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $186.64 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $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. Equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart News Summary

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Christopher Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.34, for a total value of $308,386.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 569,153 shares in the company, valued at approximately $60,523,730.02. The trade was a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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 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 completion of the transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 81,242 shares of company stock valued at $8,836,446 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Walmart 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.