Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Sold by Simon Quick Advisors LLC

Simon Quick Advisors LLC cut its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 23.0% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 37,031 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 11,054 shares during the quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $4,602,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WMT. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 57.4% during the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 193.0% during the 4th quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Stock Down 0.6%

Walmart stock opened at $114.24 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $909.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.08, a PEG ratio of 4.29 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. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $94.43 and a fifty-two week high of $135.15. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $118.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $122.04.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business 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. Equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 661,037 shares in the company, valued at $82,021,470.96. This represents a 1.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total transaction 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 87,145 shares of company stock valued at $10,691,920. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: June U.S. retail sales held up, suggesting consumers are still spending as Walmart heads into the back-to-school season; that could support traffic and sales volumes if the company remains aggressive on pricing. Retail Sales Hold Up as Walmart and Amazon Go Back to School
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is also being discussed in multiple market and analyst roundups, with commentary focusing on its strong digital growth and role as a defensive stock, but these pieces do not appear to include a major new business update. Walmart Commands a 36.74X Forward P/E: Is the Stock Worth Buying?
• Neutral Sentiment: An article about AI and retail highlighted that Walmart is investing in automation while still emphasizing workers, which reinforces its long-term strategy but is unlikely to move the stock on its own. Walmart’s people chief says these 10 jobs are still hot in the age of AI
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts argue Walmart’s premium valuation leaves limited room for disappointment, with one note saying momentum alone may not justify the stock’s high forward P/E. Walmart’s Momentum Cannot Justify The Premium
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart has also been the subject of bearish commentary saying the recent sell-off may not be over, adding to investor caution around the shares. Walmart: The Sell-Off Isn’t Over Yet (Rating Upgrade)

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. Erste Group Bank cut Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 price objective (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 11th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 target price (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, May 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.85.

Walmart Company 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.