Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ Decreases Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ cut its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 0.5% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,383,150 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 6,883 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for 0.9% of Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ’s holdings in Walmart were worth $171,897,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. MFA Wealth Services increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. MFA Wealth Services now owns 10,909 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,356,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Realta Investment Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Realta Investment Advisors now owns 4,089 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $508,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Renaissance Group LLC now owns 9,636 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,074,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Calton & Associates Inc. grew its position in Walmart by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Calton & Associates Inc. now owns 27,220 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,033,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advocacy Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Advocacy Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,392 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $378,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total value of $1,308,670.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 120,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,300,550.91. The trade was a 8.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.92, for a total value of $359,368.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 577,853 shares in the company, valued at approximately $71,607,543.76. This trade represents a 0.50% 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. In the last quarter, insiders sold 100,730 shares of company stock valued at $12,444,624. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, June 5th. UBS Group set a $141.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 price objective (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.85.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s ad business, Walmart Connect, is being viewed as an increasingly important margin driver, supported by ad growth, seller spending, and e-commerce gains. This helps offset concerns about retail margin pressure. Is Walmart Connect Becoming a Bigger Margin Driver for WMT?
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is also benefiting from its role in helping seniors navigate new Medicare coverage for obesity drugs, which reinforces its healthcare-related services and customer reach. Healthy Returns: Walmart, CVS step in to help seniors navigate Medicare coverage of obesity drugs
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart+ engagement appears to be supported by popular fuel discounts, which could help membership retention and recurring revenue over time. Walmart+ Executive Says Fuel Discounts Supercharge Member Engagement
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention remains elevated around WMT, with recent articles highlighting the stock’s large valuation and the market’s ongoing debate about whether e-commerce and store investments can justify the premium.
• Negative Sentiment: Traders are selling Walmart after a research note from Cleveland Research suggested U.S. comparable sales have “slowed to some degree,” raising concerns that domestic growth momentum may be cooling. Walmart Shares Slip Amid Sales Slowdown Concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Another note said Walmart shares have fallen to near an eight-month low as analysts flag slowing sales, reinforcing concerns that near-term fundamentals may not match the stock’s valuation. WMT Stock Sinks To Near Eight-Month Low — Cleveland Research Flags Slowing Sales

Walmart Stock Down 3.9%

Shares of WMT opened at $108.82 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $122.87 and a 200-day moving average price of $122.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $866.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.18, a P/E/G ratio of 4.22 and a beta of 0.60. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $94.23 and a 12-month high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.66. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The company had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.61 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. 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.

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.