Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Acquired by IPG Investment Advisors LLC

IPG Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 23.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 43,078 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,159 shares during the period. IPG Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $4,477,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in Walmart during the 2nd quarter valued at about $7,455,131,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,905,655,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the 2nd quarter valued at about $796,677,000. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 54.0% in the 2nd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 18,607,297 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,107,462,000 after purchasing an additional 6,525,224 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi grew its position in shares of Walmart by 44.4% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 20,796,957 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,355,463,000 after buying an additional 6,393,326 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WMT. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Roth Capital restated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Gordon Haskett cut shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to an “accumulate” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $132.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $132.41.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.35, for a total value of $5,335,345.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 201,672 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,246,145.20. This trade represents a 20.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.66, for a total transaction of $1,399,912.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 647,912 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,106,293.92. This represents a 1.99% 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. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 268,222 shares of company stock valued at $31,604,051. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock opened at $124.86 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $990.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.08, a PEG ratio of 4.61 and a beta of 0.53. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $98.88 and a 1 year high of $135.15. The business has a 50-day moving average of $111.08 and a 200-day moving average of $118.46. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $186.64 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.83% and a net margin of 3.00%. Walmart’s revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.68 EPS. 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, equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 EPS for the current year.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart may be positioned to beat its next earnings estimates, according to Zacks, which points to its history of earnings surprises and factors supporting another potential beat. Why Walmart is Poised to Beat Earnings Estimates Again
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s expanded Sparky AI shopping assistant could support holiday sales by helping customers shop and potentially encouraging larger orders. Can Walmart’s Expanded Sparky AI Boost Holiday Shopping and Sales?
• Positive Sentiment: A report says Walmart’s e-commerce sales are growing faster than Amazon’s, suggesting its online business is gaining momentum. 1 Stat That Makes Walmart Hard to Ignore This November
• Neutral Sentiment: CTO Suresh Kumar sold 166,342 shares, and EVP Daniel Bartlett sold 3,346 shares. Both trades were made under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans; the sales may draw attention, but do not necessarily indicate a change in their views of the company. Kumar SEC filing Bartlett SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish commentary highlights Walmart’s high valuation, with one article returning to a “strong sell” rating and another warning that the valuation may be stretched. Valuation concerns could weigh on sentiment even as the business outlook remains constructive. Walmart: Back To The Strong Sell Rating Walmart’s Defensive Reputation and Valuation

Walmart Company Profile

Walmart Inc (NASDAQ:WMT) operates a global retail business through a network of supercenters, supermarkets, discount stores, neighborhood markets, warehouse clubs and e-commerce platforms. Its stores and websites sell a broad assortment of merchandise, including groceries, consumables, health and wellness products, apparel, electronics, home goods, toys and other general merchandise.

The company organizes its operations into Walmart U.S., Walmart International and Sam’s Club U.S. Walmart U.S.