NewEdge Advisors LLC Has $357.81 Million Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

NewEdge Advisors LLC trimmed its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 2.0% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,879,062 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 58,596 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up 1.3% of NewEdge Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 10th largest holding. NewEdge Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $357,810,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Walmart by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $49,015,626,000 after buying an additional 4,304,436 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $19,046,104,000 after buying an additional 2,242,364 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $11,426,753,000 after acquiring an additional 6,517,394 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $6,458,529,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,626,852 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,526,238,000 after acquiring an additional 328,229 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Up 0.7%

NASDAQ WMT opened at $112.34 on Thursday. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $95.42 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 $894.01 billion, a PE ratio of 39.42, a P/E/G ratio of 4.16 and a beta of 0.61. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $114.72 and its 200 day moving average is $121.78.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. The business had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The company’s revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm 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. Research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Truist Financial set a $140.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Walmart from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Tigress Financial restated 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. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane lowered their target price on shares of Walmart from $147.00 to $146.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.56.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.08, for a total transaction of $1,628,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 661,037 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $82,021,470.96. This trade represents a 1.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal 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 on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were 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 owned 120,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,300,550.91. This represents a 8.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 71,439 shares of company stock valued at $8,544,532 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UBS sees potential earnings catalyst: UBS expects a steady second quarter and said market expectations appear balanced, or even subdued. Although Walmart U.S. comparable-sales growth is expected to slow to about 3.5% from 4.1% in the prior quarter, UBS believes investors may be focusing too narrowly on comps and overlooking the company’s longer-term earnings potential. Walmart seen delivering steady second quarter as UBS backs long-term earnings story
• Positive Sentiment: Advertising business expanded: Walmart completed its acquisition of Vibe.co, a self-service streaming-TV advertising platform. The technology will be integrated into Walmart Connect, potentially improving advertisers’ ability to buy and measure connected-TV campaigns and supporting Walmart’s higher-margin advertising growth. Walmart completes its acquisition of TV advertising company Vibe.co
• Neutral Sentiment: Fuel costs pressured margins, but guidance held: Walmart absorbed an estimated $175 million fuel-cost impact in the first quarter. However, unchanged fiscal 2027 guidance suggests management still expects profitability to improve, limiting the immediate negative implication for the stock. Walmart Faces Higher Fuel Costs
• Neutral Sentiment: Executive stock sale disclosed: EVP Daniel Bartlett sold 3,710 shares for approximately $419,600 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale reduced his holdings by only 0.59%, making it a limited signal of changing management confidence. Daniel Bartlett Sells 3,710 Shares of Walmart Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Oppenheimer downgraded the stock: Oppenheimer moved Walmart to Perform from Outperform, citing pharmacy-related headwinds and a full, “peakish” valuation. The firm warned that slower U.S. comparable-sales growth could trigger a lower valuation multiple ahead of earnings. Walmart Faces an Oppenheimer Downgrade

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.