Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Acquired by Bayban

Bayban increased its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 630.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 26,519 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 22,890 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises approximately 2.9% of Bayban’s portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position. Bayban’s holdings in Walmart were worth $3,296,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Walmart by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $49,015,626,000 after purchasing an additional 4,304,436 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $19,046,104,000 after purchasing an additional 2,242,364 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $11,426,753,000 after purchasing an additional 6,517,394 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $6,458,529,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,626,852 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,526,238,000 after purchasing an additional 328,229 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity showed strong bullish interest, with traders buying 172,007 WMT call options, well above the normal daily level, suggesting some investors are positioning for a rebound.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentators highlighted Walmart Connect as a growing margin driver, supported by ad growth, marketplace expansion, seller spending, and e-commerce gains.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s push into agentic shopping with Google’s Gemini and broader AI-enabled commerce is being viewed as a potential long-term catalyst for sales and ecosystem growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart and Flipkart are preparing to expand quick-commerce capabilities in India, which could strengthen Walmart’s international digital growth story. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart was mentioned in coverage of Medicare obesity-drug coverage, where the company is helping seniors navigate benefits; this is supportive of its health-services positioning but is not a major near-term earnings driver. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Research notes and trading commentary said U.S. comparable sales may be slowing, with investors worried Walmart has leaned on price cuts and tariff refunds to manage inventory, potentially pressuring margins. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Shares also came under pressure after reports highlighted slowing domestic sales growth and a near eight-month low, reinforcing concerns about near-term fundamental momentum. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares in a pre-arranged 10b5-1 transaction, which is typically routine but can still add a small amount of selling pressure sentiment-wise.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 price target (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Craig Hallum set a $150.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Tigress Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $155.00 price objective (up from $150.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.85.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total value of $413,891.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 630,009 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,074,186.76. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total value of $1,435,203.96. Following the completion of the transaction, 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. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 104,505 shares of company stock valued at $12,858,514. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Trading Up 2.8%

NASDAQ WMT opened at $111.84 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $122.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $122.14. 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 Inc. has a one year low of $94.23 and a one year high of $135.15. The firm has a market cap of $890.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.24, a PEG ratio of 4.06 and a beta of 0.60.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.66. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior 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. Equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal 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.