Liberty One Investment Management LLC Boosts Stock Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Liberty One Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 27.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 50,690 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,949 shares during the quarter. Liberty One Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $6,300,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Bowen Hanes & Co. Inc. lifted its position in Walmart by 371.4% in the 1st quarter. Bowen Hanes & Co. Inc. now owns 238,225 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $29,607,000 after buying an additional 187,685 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia grew its position in Walmart by 379.6% during the first quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 4,258,338 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $529,184,000 after acquiring an additional 3,370,380 shares during the last quarter. Dickmeyer Boyce Financial Management Inc. bought a new position in Walmart during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,568,000. Gibbs Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 55.5% during the first quarter. Gibbs Wealth Management now owns 13,181 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,638,000 after acquiring an additional 4,705 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 5.0% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 1,823,413 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $226,616,000 after acquiring an additional 87,570 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $108.40 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $117.18 and its 200 day moving average is $122.06. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $95.35 and a 52 week high of $135.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The company has a market cap of $862.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.04, a PEG ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.60.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.66. The business had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company 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 research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on WMT. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Walmart from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, July 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.85.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an outperform rating on Walmart and raised its price target to $137, signaling meaningful upside potential from current levels. Benzinga report on RBC rating
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent articles highlight Walmart as a wide-moat and growth stock, pointing to durable competitive advantages and steady financial growth that can support investor confidence. Wide-moat stocks article
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart announced a partnership with ReturnPro to refurbish and resell returned products, which could improve e-commerce efficiency, recover losses from returns, and reduce waste. Yahoo Finance ReturnPro partnership article
• Neutral Sentiment: Media coverage on Walmart’s dividend history may attract income-focused investors, but it does not appear to be a new catalyst for the stock today. TheStreet dividend article
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical commentary notes Walmart’s extended downturn could set up a possible rebound, but this is more of a sentiment/valuation call than a fundamental change. MSN comeback article
• Negative Sentiment: RBC and other market commentary suggest Walmart may report a softer fiscal Q2 as lower-income shoppers remain under pressure, raising concerns about near-term sales momentum. Yahoo Finance softer Q2 article
• Negative Sentiment: One article argues Walmart has lagged the market over the past several months, with recent softer results contributing to investor caution. Yahoo Finance stock falls article

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.63, for a total transaction of $2,303,320.08. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,174,579 shares in the company, valued at approximately $495,230,306.77. This represents a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, 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 firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.19, for a total value of $342,751.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 574,953 shares in the company, valued at $67,953,695.07. The trade was a 0.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 67,729 shares of company stock valued at $8,124,931 in the last quarter. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.