Walmart Inc. $WMT Stake Lessened by Midwest Trust Co

Midwest Trust Co cut its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 806,574 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 12,536 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for 1.0% of Midwest Trust Co’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Midwest Trust Co’s holdings in Walmart were worth $91,353,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 57.4% in the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Sankala Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Turim 21 Investimentos Ltda. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the first quarter valued at $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total transaction of $413,891.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 630,009 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $69,074,186.76. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.63, for a total value of $2,303,320.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,174,579 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $495,230,306.77. The trade was a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 70,189 shares of company stock valued at $8,377,320. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $114.33 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $909.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.12, a PEG ratio of 4.30 and a beta of 0.61. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $95.42 and a one year high of $135.15. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $114.23 and a 200 day simple moving average of $121.53. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.66. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm 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. Sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 EPS for the current year.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: DA Davidson reaffirmed its Buy rating and set a $150 price target, implying substantial upside from recent trading levels. The bullish view supports the stock by pointing to Walmart’s defensive business model and continued customer traffic. Benzinga analyst rating report
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts say Walmart has not yet seen a major change in shopping behavior despite gasoline prices rising above $4 per gallon. The retailer is also gaining share among higher-income customers, which could help offset pressure on lower-income households. TheStreet gas price and Walmart shoppers article
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart leads a closely watched retail earnings week. Its results, along with reports from Target, Home Depot and Lowe’s, are expected to provide fresh evidence about consumer health, promotional activity and the effects of inflation and fuel costs. Yahoo Finance consumer landscape preview
• Negative Sentiment: Investor expectations appear cautious ahead of earnings. Oppenheimer downgraded Walmart to Perform and reportedly expects U.S. comparable sales growth of about 3%, below the roughly 3.8% consensus, with slower General Merchandise and Health & Wellness growth. Seeking Alpha Walmart earnings preview
• Negative Sentiment: Higher fuel prices could eventually squeeze discretionary spending among Walmart’s lower-income customers. Analysts also cite cautious guidance, elevated costs and a demanding valuation as reasons the stock may remain vulnerable if quarterly results or the outlook disappoint. Walmart’s previously reaffirmed fiscal 2027 guidance calls for 3.5%–4.5% net sales growth and adjusted EPS of $2.75–$2.85, rather than an upgrade. Seeking Alpha Walmart earnings setup

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Oppenheimer cut Walmart from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Truist Financial set a $140.00 price target on Walmart in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 price objective (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.50.

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.