Clare Market Investments LLC Takes Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Clare Market Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 13,663 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,698,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WMT. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA grew its stake in Walmart by 253.3% in the first quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA now owns 384,034 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $47,728,000 after acquiring an additional 275,337 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 2.9% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 2,416,580 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $300,333,000 after purchasing an additional 68,632 shares during the period. Vise Technologies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 42.1% in the 4th quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 275,341 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $30,676,000 after purchasing an additional 81,635 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,010,886 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $104,182,000 after purchasing an additional 28,026 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $40,855,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total transaction of $1,435,203.96. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 125,067 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,985,527.94. This trade represents a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 120,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,300,550.91. This represents a 8.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 104,505 shares of company stock valued at $12,858,514 in the last 90 days. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $113.10 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $121.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $122.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $94.23 and a twelve month high of $135.15. The company has a market capitalization of $900.06 billion, a PE ratio of 39.68, a PEG ratio of 4.16 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 (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.66. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.61 EPS. The business’s 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, equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Trending Headlines about 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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on WMT. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Walmart from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 8th. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. UBS Group set a $141.00 target price on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Tigress Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $155.00 price target (up from $150.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.85.

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.