Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Purchased by Fifth Third Bancorp

Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 55.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,721,898 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,324,007 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises approximately 0.8% of Fifth Third Bancorp’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Fifth Third Bancorp’s holdings in Walmart were worth $462,558,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 1st quarter worth $29,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 57.4% in the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 193.0% during the 4th quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

More Walmart News

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

Walmart Stock Up 1.5%

Walmart 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. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $94.23 and a 12 month 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 stock has a market cap of $906.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.97, a P/E/G ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.60. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $120.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $121.96.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS 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 net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The firm’s revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $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. Research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WMT. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 target price (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 price objective (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 8th. One equities 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.85.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the business’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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 125,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,985,527.94. The trade was a 8.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at 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 business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.19, for a total value of $342,751.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 574,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $67,953,695.07. This represents a 0.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 104,505 shares of company stock worth $12,858,514. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

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.