Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Sold by HighTower Advisors LLC

HighTower Advisors LLC decreased its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 2.1% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,884,602 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 62,421 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $326,710,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 57.4% during the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Sankala Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Turim 21 Investimentos Ltda. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 1st quarter valued at $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s history of earnings surprises, along with favorable estimates and other indicators tracked by Zacks, suggests the company could exceed consensus expectations again. Why Walmart Could Beat Earnings Estimates Again
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are highlighting continued e-commerce momentum, improving profit mix and Walmart Connect’s rapidly growing advertising business. Advertising revenue carries higher margins and may help offset price investments, delivery costs and softer store-sales growth. As Retail Stagnates, Ad Dollars Help Walmart Stay the Course
• Positive Sentiment: DA Davidson reaffirmed its buy rating and assigned a $150 price target, indicating substantial potential appreciation if Walmart delivers on its growth and profitability plans. DA Davidson Walmart Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: The upcoming report is viewed as an important read on the U.S. consumer because Walmart serves both value-focused and higher-income shoppers. Its performance could provide broader insight into household spending trends. What Walmart and Target Earnings Could Tell Us About Consumers
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart’s low-price strategy and thousands of rollbacks may sustain customer traffic, although rising fuel costs are creating pressure for lower-income shoppers. Can Walmart Sustain Growth as Household Budgets Tighten?
• Negative Sentiment: Same-store sales growth has cooled, and investors remain concerned that Walmart’s cautious annual outlook could limit upside. The company is increasingly relying on higher-margin advertising to support profitability as core retail momentum moderates. Walmart Investors Hang Hopes on Retail Media as Sales Cool
• Negative Sentiment: Several previews warn that WMT’s valuation is demanding, while fuel costs, cautious consumers and operating-margin pressure could make it difficult to justify further gains. One report also frames the company’s long dividend-growth streak as potentially vulnerable if earnings and cash flow weaken. Walmart Strong Company but Overvalued Before Earnings

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock opened at $115.20 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $114.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $121.52. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $95.42 and a 1 year high of $135.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $916.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.42, a P/E/G ratio of 4.30 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.66. The company had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The firm’s revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $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. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Freedom Capital raised shares of Walmart from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $135.00 price objective (down from $137.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total value of $1,308,670.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 120,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,300,550.91. The trade was a 8.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the business’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 value of $1,435,203.96. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 125,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,985,527.94. This trade represents a 8.74% 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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 70,189 shares of company stock valued at $8,377,320. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.