Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Bought by Americana Partners LLC

Americana Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 15.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 478,992 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 65,744 shares during the period. Walmart comprises approximately 1.5% of Americana Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Americana Partners LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $53,364,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $49,015,626,000 after buying an additional 4,304,436 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $19,046,104,000 after acquiring an additional 2,242,364 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,298,623 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,153,176,000 after buying an additional 634,211 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 27,268,463 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,810,288,000 after buying an additional 934,468 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Walmart by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 24,990,692 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,575,541,000 after purchasing an additional 93,459 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.08, for a total transaction of $1,628,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 661,037 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $82,021,470.96. This represents a 1.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed 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 John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total value of $2,555,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 486,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $62,203,571.56. This represents a 3.95% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 126,008 shares of company stock worth $15,896,715. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Down 0.9%

WMT opened at $120.27 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $958.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.49 and a beta of 0.65. The business has a 50-day moving average of $126.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $120.03. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $93.43 and a 12 month high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced 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. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The company had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.61 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the subject of several research reports. DA Davidson set a $150.00 target price on shares of Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $137.00 target price (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Truist Financial set a $140.00 price target on Walmart in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, HSBC downgraded Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $122.00 to $131.00 in a report on Friday, February 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $138.71.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart posted solid first-quarter results, with revenue of $177.8 billion and EPS of $0.66, while e-commerce sales rose 26% and advertising revenue jumped 37%, highlighting continued strength in digital and membership-driven businesses.
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts remained constructive after earnings: Bank of America reiterated a Buy rating and said Walmart is well positioned to gain share in a price-sensitive environment, while BTIG and BNP Paribas Exane also kept positive ratings despite modestly trimming price targets.
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart disclosed pre-arranged insider sales by CEO John Furner and EVP Christopher James Nicholas, but both transactions were made under 10b5-1 plans, which typically limits how much investors read into them.
• Neutral Sentiment: News reports also noted leadership changes, including the departure of Sam’s Club COO Tom Ward and U.S. stores EVP Cedric Clark, adding some uncertainty but not appearing to change the company’s near-term operating outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Shares weakened after Walmart issued second-quarter EPS guidance below consensus and reaffirmed full-year targets that also came in below Wall Street expectations, prompting concerns that margin pressure could continue.
• Negative Sentiment: Management said elevated fuel prices are pressuring both consumers and Walmart’s own costs, reinforcing worries that spending could soften and profitability could stay under pressure in the coming quarters.

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.