Conning Inc. Sells 6,268 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Conning Inc. cut its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 10.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 56,251 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 6,268 shares during the quarter. Conning Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $6,991,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Fulcrum Capital LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $209,000. Walled Lake Planning & Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 15.9% during the first quarter. Walled Lake Planning & Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,527 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $687,000 after purchasing an additional 759 shares during the period. KLCM Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.6% in the first quarter. KLCM Advisors Inc. now owns 31,244 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,883,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Investment Strategies LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 0.6% in the first quarter. Diversified Investment Strategies LLC now owns 62,310 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $7,744,000 after purchasing an additional 355 shares during the period. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 45.9% in the first quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 970 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $121,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Trading Up 1.5%

WMT stock traded up $1.69 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $113.90. The stock had a trading volume of 12,452,368 shares, compared to its average volume of 21,901,888. The firm has a market cap of $906.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $94.23 and a 1-year high of $135.15. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $120.48 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $121.96.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion during 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $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. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total transaction of $413,891.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 630,009 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $69,074,186.76. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 125,067 shares in the company, valued at $14,985,527.94. The trade was a 8.74% decrease in their position. 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 have sold a total of 104,505 shares of company stock valued at $12,858,514 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is rolling out more wellness benefits at Sam’s Club, including Weight Watchers perks, which could deepen member loyalty, support renewals, and boost recurring membership revenue. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is also getting attention for broad price cuts across groceries and household staples, which should help reinforce its reputation as a defensive, inflation-fighting retailer and drive traffic to stores and clubs. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer said Walmart is one of the “greatest companies on earth” and called the recent pullback an “incredible buying opportunity,” helping support sentiment around the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary around Walmart’s health event and its AI shopping efforts highlights longer-term strategic investments, but these items are more thematic than immediate catalysts for the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage comparing Walmart’s AI shopping race with Amazon underscores competitive pressure in retail tech, but it does not point to any near-term operational setback for Walmart. Article Title

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on WMT. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Guggenheim increased their price target on Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. BNP Paribas Exane cut their price objective on Walmart from $147.00 to $146.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 target price (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, May 7th. One investment 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.85.

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.