AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc Has $54.58 Million Stock Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc increased its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 1.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 439,161 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,025 shares during the quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc’s holdings in Walmart were worth $54,575,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 57.4% during the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 193.0% during the fourth quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sankala Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart announced a nationwide effort with Sam’s Club to help Medicare beneficiaries understand new prescription drug coverage options tied to weight management and chronic care, reinforcing its healthcare and pharmacy services strategy.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is integrating Walmart Connect and Sam’s Club advertising operations into one framework, a move that signals continued growth and better monetization of its ad business.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary highlighted improving Walmart International sales, supported by store gains, e-commerce growth, marketplace expansion, and faster fulfillment, suggesting momentum in a key segment.
• Neutral Sentiment: EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares at an average price of $118.19 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan; the sale was small relative to his holdings and is typically viewed as routine insider activity.
• Negative Sentiment: California consumers filed a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging Walmart and other retailers used an AI pricing tool to illegally raise gas prices, creating potential legal, regulatory, and reputational risk.
• Negative Sentiment: Reuters reported Walmart was among gas-station operators sued over allegations of AI-driven pump-price inflation in California, adding another legal headline that could pressure sentiment.
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart also faces scrutiny in China, where regulators ordered Sam’s Club to strengthen food-safety controls and supply-chain inspections, adding operational pressure in an important international market.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT stock opened at $117.18 on Tuesday. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $94.23 and a 1-year high of $135.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The firm has a market cap of $932.53 billion, a PE ratio of 41.12, a P/E/G ratio of 4.37 and a beta of 0.60. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $124.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $122.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. The business had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business 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. As a group, research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.63, for a total value of $2,303,320.08. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,174,579 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $495,230,306.77. The trade was a 0.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.19, for a total transaction of $342,751.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 574,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $67,953,695.07. The trade was a 0.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 120,146 shares of company stock worth $14,835,898 in the last ninety days. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on WMT shares. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Craig Hallum set a $150.00 target price on Walmart in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 price target (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. 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 company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.85.

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.