Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA Invests $815,000 in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA acquired a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 7,200 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $815,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 1.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $19,046,104,000 after buying an additional 2,242,364 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Walmart by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $11,426,753,000 after buying an additional 6,517,394 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $6,458,529,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,626,852 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,526,238,000 after acquiring an additional 328,229 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in Walmart by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 36,820,550 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,102,546,000 after acquiring an additional 920,969 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Up 0.4%

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $103.09 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $820.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.90 and a beta of 0.61. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $95.79 and a twelve month high of $135.15. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $111.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $120.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.83% and a net margin of 3.00%.The company had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $186.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.68 EPS. 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. Equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s fiscal second-quarter results showed continued momentum beyond traditional store sales: revenue reached approximately $187.9 billion, global e-commerce grew 23%, and advertising revenue increased 38%. These higher-growth businesses could support future margins and cash flow. Walmart Growth Engine Hums
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentary continue to point to Walmart’s expanding e-commerce, digital advertising, memberships, convenience-led fulfillment, automation and AI initiatives as reasons the recent decline could represent a long-term buying opportunity. Walmart’s scale and value-focused pricing remain important competitive advantages. Walmart Continues to Grow Beyond Retail
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart settled a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit alleging that its pharmacies unlawfully contributed to the opioid epidemic. Resolving the case removes an overhang and reduces legal uncertainty, although the financial terms and any broader implications remain important for investors. Walmart Settles U.S. Opioid Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights a potentially tougher consumer environment. Walmart’s comparable sales growth was 3.4% excluding pharmacy-related items, while middle-income shoppers appear increasingly focused on necessities and limiting discretionary purchases. Walmart and Home Depot Results
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are also questioning whether Walmart’s valuation adequately reflects its strong performance. A high earnings multiple, slower core sales growth and the stock’s position below its moving averages have amplified the impact of the recent selloff. Walmart Selloff Analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Executive Vice President Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares worth approximately $5.3 million. The sale was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan to cover taxes on vested equity awards, making it a weaker bearish signal than discretionary insider selling. Walmart Insider Trading Filing

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Walmart from $137.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Guggenheim set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. DA Davidson set a $132.00 target price on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Finally, Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $131.88.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.34, for a total transaction of $308,386.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 569,153 shares in the company, valued at $60,523,730.02. The trade was a 0.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total transaction of $1,435,203.96. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 125,067 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,985,527.94. The trade was a 8.74% 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. Over the last three months, insiders sold 77,292 shares of company stock valued at $8,421,143. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.