Bank of Stockton Decreases Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Bank of Stockton cut its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 11.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 37,728 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 4,973 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises about 1.4% of Bank of Stockton’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. Bank of Stockton’s holdings in Walmart were worth $4,689,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake 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 worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 193.0% in the 4th quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s aggressive price cuts are being viewed as a strategy to win inflation-weary shoppers and strengthen its grocery leadership, which analysts and commentators say could support sales volume and customer loyalty. Walmart stock gains after price cuts as analysts back grocery strategy
• Positive Sentiment: Several pieces framed Walmart as a blue-chip retail winner in volatile markets, with its scale, dividend, and resilient business model making it a preferred defensive name for investors. 3 Blue-Chip Retail Stocks to Trust as Volatility Favors Quality
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary from Jim Cramer and others characterized the recent pullback in WMT as a buying opportunity, suggesting investors may be looking past near-term volatility and focusing on Walmart’s durable earnings profile. Jim Cramer calls Walmart selloff an ‘incredible buying opportunity,’ says fears ‘have gone out the window’
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is also being compared favorably with Target and other retailers on revenue consistency and scale, reinforcing its quality profile but without a clear new catalyst. Walmart and Target: Comparing Revenue Consistency and Scale
• Neutral Sentiment: Trump’s public praise for Walmart’s price cuts has added visibility to the stock, but the move is still fundamentally about pricing strategy rather than a direct financial update. President Trump says Walmart will lower prices by ‘a lot’ — but the retail beast has already been slashing prices
• Negative Sentiment: Some articles warned that deeper discounting could pressure margins, and Walmart also faces ongoing legal headlines, including a $13 million driver-pay settlement and a new AI-related lawsuit. Walmart (WMT) Pays $13 Million To Settle Driver Pay Case As New AI Suit Lands

Walmart Stock Performance

Walmart stock opened at $113.10 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $121.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $122.03. The company has a market capitalization of $900.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.68, a PEG ratio of 4.16 and a beta of 0.60. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $94.23 and a fifty-two week high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.66. The business had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The business’s revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.61 earnings per share. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on WMT shares. UBS Group set a $141.00 price objective on Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 target price (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 price target (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $147.00 to $146.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.85.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.84, for a total value of $1,638,525.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 674,162 shares in the company, valued at approximately $84,162,384.08. This represents a 1.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, 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 transaction of $1,308,670.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 120,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,300,550.91. This trade represents a 8.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 104,505 shares of company stock worth $12,858,514 in the last 90 days. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.