Meiji Yasuda America Inc Sells 14,309 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Meiji Yasuda America Inc trimmed its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 18.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 62,815 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 14,309 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises approximately 1.9% of Meiji Yasuda America Inc’s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Meiji Yasuda America Inc’s holdings in Walmart were worth $7,807,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth approximately $6,458,529,000. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 188.1% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,199,907,000 after purchasing an additional 7,614,172 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 6.8% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Capital International Investors purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $592,848,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $49,015,626,000 after buying an additional 4,304,436 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT opened at $110.39 on Wednesday. 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 capitalization of $878.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.73, a PEG ratio of 4.18 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a fifty day moving average of $118.11 and a 200 day moving average of $122.11. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $95.29 and a fifty-two week high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.61 EPS. The business’s quarterly 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. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on WMT shares. Guggenheim increased their price target on Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Tigress Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $155.00 price objective (up from $150.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 price objective (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.85.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total value of $413,891.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 630,009 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,074,186.76. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.19, for a total value of $342,751.00. Following the transaction, 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. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 87,145 shares of company stock valued at $10,691,920. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is still attracting new brands to its platform, with candy maker Final Boss Sour raising funding and securing shelf space at the retailer. That supports Walmart’s marketplace growth strategy and could help improve traffic and monetization over time. Walmart (WMT) Faces A Fresh Valuation Test As New Brands Join Its Platform
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted a rebound in Walmart’s general merchandise business, including fashion, hardlines, private brands, and marketplace growth, which could lift margins if the trend continues. Can Walmart’s General Merchandise Revival Unlock Higher Margins?
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart was mentioned in broader ecommerce-stock watch lists, which is not a direct catalyst but suggests continued investor attention on the retail and online commerce space. Top Ecommerce Stocks To Watch Now – July 18th
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market headlines about renewed U.S.-Iran tensions and potential energy-price pressure may be weighing on consumer sentiment and creating a modest headwind for Walmart’s near-term trading. As the U.S.-Iran war heats up again, these parts of the stock market and economy could be affected
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart pulled certain lettuce items amid cyclosporiasis-linked recalls, which can create short-term reputational and operational concerns for the grocer. Walmart pulls lettuce items amid cyclosporiasis-linked recalls
• Negative Sentiment: The stock also faces valuation pressure, with recent commentary noting that Walmart’s share performance has lagged and that investors are reassessing how much growth is already priced in. Walmart (WMT) Faces A Fresh Valuation Test As New Brands Join Its Platform

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.