Calamos Advisors LLC Reduces Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Calamos Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,653,891 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 87,392 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for about 0.6% of Calamos Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Calamos Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $170,450,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WMT. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 1.0% during the third quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 9,926 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,023,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. Atlas Legacy Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Atlas Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 8,707 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $851,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,804 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $470,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the period. Hickory Point Bank & Trust boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.3% in the third quarter. Hickory Point Bank & Trust now owns 7,706 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $794,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CogentBlue Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 2.9% during the third quarter. CogentBlue Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,594 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $370,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on WMT. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Walmart from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. DA Davidson set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 price target (up previously from $115.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Thirty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $120.69.

Walmart Stock Down 0.5%

WMT stock opened at $111.41 on Thursday. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $79.81 and a 52 week high of $117.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $108.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of $102.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $887.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.95, a P/E/G ratio of 5.17 and a beta of 0.64.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.02. Walmart had a net margin of 3.26% and a return on equity of 21.31%. The firm had revenue of $179.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $175.15 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.58 EPS. Walmart’s quarterly revenue was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.21, for a total value of $460,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,031,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $118,833,930.55. This represents a 0.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Friday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.83, for a total transaction of $2,171,291.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,315,333 shares in the company, valued at approximately $482,583,689.39. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 125,628 shares of company stock valued at $13,690,065 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.