Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Purchased by Stephens Inc. AR

Stephens Inc. AR boosted its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 6.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,540,042 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 96,913 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up 2.4% of Stephens Inc. AR’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Walmart were worth $191,530,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $49,015,626,000 after buying an additional 4,304,436 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 2,242,364 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings 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. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $6,458,529,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,626,852 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,526,238,000 after purchasing an additional 328,229 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $111.56 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The stock has a market cap of $887.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.14, a P/E/G ratio of 4.12 and a beta of 0.60. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $94.23 and a 1-year high of $135.15. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $121.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $122.05.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analysts’ expectations of $174.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.61 earnings per share. The business’s 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. Sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is cutting prices on thousands of items, which could attract more shoppers and support sales volume. Walmart Looks to Win Over Inflation-Weary Americans With Thousands of Price Cuts
• Positive Sentiment: The retailer’s lower prices on summer barbecue staples and other essentials are getting high-profile attention, including praise from the White House, which may boost consumer sentiment and brand loyalty. Walmart Lowers Prices on Thousands of Items, Including Beef and Coca-Cola
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are also weighing Walmart’s valuation and recent stock pullback after the shares cooled from their 52-week high, but the company’s underlying business remains solid. Jim Cramer’s unexpected 1-word reaction to Walmart stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Some commentary suggests the stock’s recent decline reflects broader concerns about rich multiples rather than a change in Walmart’s operations. Walmart (WMT) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: Here’s Why
• Negative Sentiment: One article argues that grocery price cuts may not be enough to satisfy investors or shoppers if broader margin pressure and competitive “grocery wars” intensify. It’s Grocery Wars. Walmart Cuts Food Prices, but Shoppers Are Fed Up.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on WMT. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Freedom Capital raised Walmart from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price objective on Walmart from $147.00 to $146.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 22nd. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 target price (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.85.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total transaction of $1,435,203.96. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 125,067 shares in the company, valued at $14,985,527.94. This represents a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total transaction of $413,891.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 630,009 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,074,186.76. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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.

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.