Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Sells 8,766 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund cut its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 550,814 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 8,766 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises approximately 0.6% of Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Walmart were worth $57,241,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Montgomery Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 2nd quarter worth about $32,000. Turim 21 Investimentos Ltda. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the second quarter worth approximately $34,000. Pingora Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the second quarter worth approximately $34,000. PMV Capital Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Team Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on WMT shares. Tigress Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $155.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, August 31st. Mizuho set a $135.00 target price on Walmart and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. DZ Bank reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Truist Financial set a $114.00 price target on Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Freedom Broker upgraded Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $131.51.

Walmart News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target to $149 and maintained a Buy rating, while JPMorgan lifted its target to $145 and kept an Overweight rating. The higher targets reflect analysts’ confidence in Walmart’s growth potential. UBS rating JPMorgan rating
• Positive Sentiment: ETF buying provided a supportive signal: 51 funds added Walmart shares, with reported purchases totaling $99.5 million on Nov. 6. ETF holdings article
• Neutral Sentiment: Sam’s Club is benefiting from higher traffic, membership growth and digital sales, though declining average ticket values are weighing on comparable-sales growth. The results will indicate whether customer momentum can translate into stronger sales. Sam’s Club article
• Neutral Sentiment: A report listed Walmart short interest at zero shares as of Nov. 10, suggesting no reported short-position overhang, although the accompanying claim of a significant increase conflicts with that figure.
• Negative Sentiment: RBC said Walmart is unlikely to deliver a “significant” upside surprise in its upcoming quarterly results, which may limit near-term enthusiasm ahead of earnings. RBC earnings outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually high put-options activity ahead of earnings points to some investor hedging or concern about a possible share-price decline; options activity alone does not establish that a drop is expected. Options activity article

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, CEO John Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.66, for a total value of $1,399,912.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 647,912 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $69,106,293.92. This represents a 1.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Daniel Bartlett sold 3,990 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.41, for a total value of $416,595.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 618,359 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $64,562,863.19. This trade represents a 0.64% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 268,222 shares of company stock valued at $31,604,051 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $125.55 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The company has a market cap of $996.08 billion, a PE ratio of 44.40, a P/E/G ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 0.53. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $113.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $118.66. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $98.88 and a 52 week high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a net margin of 3.00% and a return on equity of 21.83%. The firm had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $186.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.68 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Profile

Walmart is a multinational retailer that operates discount stores, supercenters, neighborhood markets, and membership warehouse clubs. Its business includes Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam’s Club. The company sells groceries and a broad range of general merchandise, including apparel, electronics, household goods, and health and wellness products. Walmart also serves customers through e-commerce, with services such as order pickup and delivery. Founded by Sam Walton in 1962, Walmart is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas.