Portfolio Design Labs LLC Purchases Shares of 25,347 Walmart Inc. $WMT

Portfolio Design Labs LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 25,347 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $2,871,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in WMT. MFA Wealth Services increased its position in Walmart by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. MFA Wealth Services now owns 10,909 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,356,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Realta Investment Advisors boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 2.0% in the first quarter. Realta Investment Advisors now owns 4,089 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $508,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Compton Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 4.1% in the first quarter. Compton Financial Group LLC now owns 2,081 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $259,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Group LLC now owns 9,636 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,074,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Calton & Associates Inc. increased its position in Walmart by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Calton & Associates Inc. now owns 27,220 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,033,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on WMT shares. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 price target (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday. Oppenheimer downgraded shares of Walmart from a “market perform” rating to a “cautious” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Walmart from $140.00 to $120.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $128.00 target price (down from $137.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday. Finally, Evercore set a $125.00 target price on Walmart in a research report on Friday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $131.88.

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock opened at $106.49 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $113.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $121.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The company has a market capitalization of $847.46 billion, a PE ratio of 38.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.61. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $95.42 and a one year high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.83% and a net margin of 3.00%.The firm had revenue of $187.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $186.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.68 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total value of $1,308,670.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 120,203 shares in the company, valued at $14,300,550.91. The trade was a 8.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.34, for a total transaction of $308,386.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 569,153 shares in the company, valued at $60,523,730.02. This represents a 0.51% 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 have sold 57,064 shares of company stock worth $6,697,788 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unusually heavy call-option activity may indicate increased near-term bullish interest. Investors purchased 166,747 call options, about 33% above the typical daily volume. However, options activity is speculative and does not guarantee further gains.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is rolling out tap-to-pay and NFC capabilities across its U.S. stores and clubs. The move could improve checkout convenience, support mobile-wallet adoption and strengthen customer engagement as digital sales and membership become more important. Can Walmart’s Tap to Pay Push Strengthen Customer Engagement?
• Positive Sentiment: The company is introducing Scenario, a mostly sub-$25 fashion brand aimed at younger shoppers. Walmart hopes the offering will attract value-conscious consumers and improve its competitive position against Amazon in apparel. Walmart Aims to Take On Amazon With Trendier Apparel
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart’s latest quarter exceeded expectations, with adjusted earnings of $0.81 per share versus roughly $0.74 expected and revenue of $187.94 billion, up 5.9% year over year. Full-year sales guidance was also raised to 4%-5%, but the outlook implies moderating growth.
• Negative Sentiment: U.S. comparable sales growth slowed to 2.6%, compared with 4.1% in the prior quarter and 4.6% a year earlier. Investors remain concerned that cautious consumers and uneven spending are pressuring traffic and discretionary purchases.
• Negative Sentiment: Several analysts reduced Walmart’s price targets or issued more cautious forecasts after the earnings report. Critics also argue that the stock remains expensive at roughly 36 times forward earnings despite decelerating growth, limiting upside.

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.