LS Investment Advisors LLC Sells 7,837 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

LS Investment Advisors LLC lessened its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 154,048 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 7,837 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for 2.2% of LS Investment Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. LS Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $15,876,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WMT. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Walmart by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 431,817,510 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $42,223,116,000 after acquiring an additional 5,856,468 shares during the period. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 397,264.9% in the second quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 104,514,912 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $10,496,702,000 after purchasing an additional 104,488,610 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 0.3% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 94,557,532 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $9,199,712,000 after purchasing an additional 263,718 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the second quarter worth about $5,367,770,000. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 31,973,329 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,126,775,000 after purchasing an additional 1,098,342 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on WMT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Walmart from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Truist Financial set a $127.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. CICC Research assumed coverage on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, December 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $125.00 price target for the company. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $129.00 price target (up from $122.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday. Thirty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $121.28.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.78, for a total value of $1,414,612.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 892,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $96,241,073.20. This represents a 1.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.57, for a total value of $2,127,411.12. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 4,334,747 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $474,958,228.79. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 125,628 shares of company stock worth $13,690,065. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walmart Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of WMT stock opened at $112.71 on Tuesday. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $79.81 and a one year high of $117.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $108.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $103.35. The stock has a market cap of $898.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.21 and a beta of 0.66.

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

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.