Bank of New York Mellon Corp Increases Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 6.4% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 28,142,040 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,681,353 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises about 0.6% of Bank of New York Mellon Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. Bank of New York Mellon Corp’s holdings in Walmart were worth $3,497,493,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 28.8% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,868,000 after buying an additional 21,939 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $800,000 after acquiring an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Walmart by 3.5% in the first quarter. Peterson Wealth Management now owns 50,307 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,416,000 after acquiring an additional 1,715 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Walmart by 0.9% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 13,008 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,272,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the period. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its position in Walmart by 1.2% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 91,341 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,931,000 after acquiring an additional 1,048 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $112.53 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $94.43 and a 1-year high of $135.15. The company has a market capitalization of $895.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.48, a PEG ratio of 4.24 and a beta of 0.60. The business has a 50-day moving average of $119.44 and a 200-day moving average of $122.08.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.66. The business had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The company’s revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.61 EPS. 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 analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total value of $413,891.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 630,009 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,074,186.76. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.19, for a total transaction of $342,751.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 574,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $67,953,695.07. The trade was a 0.50% 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 have sold 87,145 shares of company stock valued at $10,691,920 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart, General Mills, and ADM announced a collaboration to expand regenerative agriculture across 40,000 Midwest wheat acres, a move that supports the company’s sustainability goals and could strengthen supplier relationships over time. General Mills, ADM, Walmart Partner to Accelerate Regenerative Agriculture Across 40,000 Midwest Wheat Acres
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart highlighted its back-to-school push, emphasizing low prices, convenience, and style, which could support near-term traffic and seasonal sales as families shop for the new school year. Walmart Helps Americans Navigate Their Annual Back-to-School Reset with Unmatched Value, Convenience and Style
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart declared its 53rd dividend increase, reinforcing its reputation as a dependable income stock and signaling management confidence in cash generation. Walmart just declared its 53rd dividend increase
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage comparing Walmart with Johnson & Johnson framed both as defensive names with different strategies, but it did not introduce a clear new catalyst for WMT shares. Walmart vs Johnson & Johnson: Two Defensive Plays, Diverging Strategies and One Winner
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and media pieces again raised valuation concerns, noting Walmart’s high earnings multiple and suggesting the stock may be expensive after a strong multi-year run, which can cap upside even if fundamentals remain solid. Walmart (WMT) Stock Could Be 16% Overvalued Following Dividend Hike
• Negative Sentiment: A Zacks note said Walmart stock sank while the broader market gained, pointing to relative weakness and reinforcing investor concern that the shares may be losing momentum. Walmart (WMT) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: Here’s Why
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive commentary from Jefferies favoring Amazon as a cheaper way to gain exposure to AI infrastructure and retail may pressure Walmart by reminding investors of stronger alternatives in retail-related exposure. AMZN Stock Is Cheaper Than WMT And GOOGL
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that some Spark delivery workers are frustrated by a new app feature could indicate operational friction in Walmart’s delivery network, though the financial impact is unclear for now. Walmart delivery workers say a new app feature is sending them running around stores

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on WMT shares. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 price objective (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their price target on shares of Walmart from $147.00 to $146.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Truist Financial set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.85.

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.