5,113 Shares in Walmart Inc. $WMT Purchased by Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida

Canandaigua National Trust Co of Florida acquired a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 5,113 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $531,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Persium Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 15.0% during the third quarter. Persium Advisors LLC now owns 10,369 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,078,000 after purchasing an additional 1,354 shares during the period. Greenfield Savings Bank grew its position in Walmart by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Greenfield Savings Bank now owns 14,331 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,489,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares during the period. Cassilly Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 11.7% during the 3rd quarter. Cassilly Financial Group LLC now owns 2,529 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $263,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. Rhodes Investment Advisors Inc. ADV increased its stake in Walmart by 18.7% during the 3rd quarter. Rhodes Investment Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 14,418 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,498,000 after purchasing an additional 2,271 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Trust Services Inc. raised its holdings in Walmart by 5.8% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Trust Services Inc. now owns 69,236 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $7,195,000 after buying an additional 3,783 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Retail media expansion could improve margins. Walmart Connect is extending its shopper-data advertising beyond Walmart-owned properties into live television, connected TV, streaming audio and other platforms through partnerships with Warner Bros. Discovery, Spotify and Yahoo. The business reportedly grew 43%, offering a higher-margin growth engine alongside e-commerce, membership and delivery. How Is Walmart Turning Shopper Data Into a Bigger Advertising Business?
• Positive Sentiment: AI partnerships reinforce Walmart’s technology positioning. Walmart is participating in Meta and Sierra’s Personal Agent Protocol, an open standard intended to let consumer AI agents interact directly with businesses. The initiative could help Walmart capture AI-driven shopping and customer-service activity as the technology develops. Meta and Sierra launch protocol for AI agents to interact with businesses
• Positive Sentiment: Options activity signals bullish trader interest. Traders purchased approximately 267,098 WMT call options, nearly double the stock’s average daily call volume. Although options activity is not a fundamental catalyst, it indicates increased short-term optimism. Which Retailers Do AI Agents Cite the Most?
• Neutral Sentiment: Private-label growth has mixed implications. Walmart’s bettergoods brand benefits from consumers seeking lower-cost alternatives to national brands and could support merchandise margins. However, continued price sensitivity may pressure branded suppliers and signals that shoppers remain value-focused. 3 Consumer Stocks Fighting for Shelf Space Against Private Labels
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and macroeconomic risks remain. Walmart trades at a relatively high earnings multiple, leaving the stock vulnerable if interest rates remain elevated or consumer spending weakens. Higher borrowing costs and slower economic growth could weigh on valuation and discretionary purchases, even though Walmart may gain market share as shoppers trade down. America Got Addicted to Cheap Money

Walmart Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of WMT stock traded up $0.96 on Wednesday, hitting $108.16. The stock had a trading volume of 16,126,333 shares, compared to its average volume of 25,266,242. 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 business has a 50 day moving average of $108.55 and a 200 day moving average of $116.64. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $98.88 and a 12-month high of $135.15. The stock has a market cap of $858.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.01 and a beta of 0.58.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a net margin of 3.00% and a return on equity of 21.83%. The business had revenue of $187.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $186.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.68 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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. As a group, analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. BNP Paribas Exane reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 price objective (down from $146.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 target price (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Roth Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on Walmart from $137.00 to $131.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $130.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $131.74.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.35, for a total value of $5,335,345.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 201,672 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,246,145.20. This represents a 20.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, EVP Daniel Bartlett sold 3,990 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.41, for a total value of $416,595.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 618,359 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $64,562,863.19. The trade was a 0.64% 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 81,219 shares of company stock worth $8,604,429 over the last 90 days. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc (NASDAQ: WMT) is a multinational retailer that operates supercenters, discount stores, neighborhood markets, warehouse clubs and e-commerce platforms. Its merchandise includes groceries, apparel, electronics, home goods, health and wellness products, household essentials and general merchandise. Walmart also provides services such as grocery pickup and delivery, pharmacy services, financial products and digital advertising.

The company serves customers through its Walmart U.S., Walmart International and Sam’s Club segments.