Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky Reduces Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky trimmed its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 5.3% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 560,476 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 31,247 shares during the period. Walmart comprises about 0.5% of Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky’s holdings in Walmart were worth $69,655,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Procyon Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 4.2% during the 1st quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 26,944 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,349,000 after acquiring an additional 1,074 shares during the period. Avion Wealth grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 6.6% in the first quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 5,706 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $709,000 after acquiring an additional 353 shares during the period. Navigate Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the first quarter valued at approximately $556,000. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 200.1% during the first quarter. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. now owns 114,645 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $14,248,000 after purchasing an additional 76,442 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Assets Advisory LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 0.7% during the first quarter. Global Assets Advisory LLC now owns 24,248 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,014,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the topic of several research reports. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 8th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 price target (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Tigress Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $155.00 price objective (up from $150.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.85.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $113.90 on Monday. 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 company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $120.48 and its 200 day moving average is $122.03. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $94.23 and a one year high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The business had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.61 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Key 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

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of Walmart 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 630,009 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $69,074,186.76. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was 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 owned 125,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,985,527.94. The trade was a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 104,505 shares of company stock worth $12,858,514 in the last quarter. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.