Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Purchased by Bowen Hanes & Co. Inc.

Bowen Hanes & Co. Inc. grew its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 371.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 238,225 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 187,685 shares during the quarter. Bowen Hanes & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $29,607,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total transaction of $413,891.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 630,009 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,074,186.76. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale 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, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.08, for a total value of $1,628,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 661,037 shares in the company, valued at approximately $82,021,470.96. The trade was a 1.95% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 67,729 shares of company stock worth $8,124,931. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an outperform rating on Walmart and raised its price target to $137, signaling meaningful upside potential from current levels. Benzinga report on RBC rating
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent articles highlight Walmart as a wide-moat and growth stock, pointing to durable competitive advantages and steady financial growth that can support investor confidence. Wide-moat stocks article
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart announced a partnership with ReturnPro to refurbish and resell returned products, which could improve e-commerce efficiency, recover losses from returns, and reduce waste. Yahoo Finance ReturnPro partnership article
• Neutral Sentiment: Media coverage on Walmart’s dividend history may attract income-focused investors, but it does not appear to be a new catalyst for the stock today. TheStreet dividend article
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical commentary notes Walmart’s extended downturn could set up a possible rebound, but this is more of a sentiment/valuation call than a fundamental change. MSN comeback article
• Negative Sentiment: RBC and other market commentary suggest Walmart may report a softer fiscal Q2 as lower-income shoppers remain under pressure, raising concerns about near-term sales momentum. Yahoo Finance softer Q2 article
• Negative Sentiment: One article argues Walmart has lagged the market over the past several months, with recent softer results contributing to investor caution. Yahoo Finance stock falls article

Walmart Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $108.40 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. The company has a market capitalization of $862.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.04, a PEG ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.60. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $95.35 and a 1 year high of $135.15. The company’s fifty day moving average is $117.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $122.06.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its earnings results 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.61 earnings per share. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. Analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 18th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Tigress Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $155.00 price target (up from $150.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.85.

Walmart 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.