Midwest Trust Co Decreases Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Midwest Trust Co decreased its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 806,574 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 12,536 shares during the period. Walmart comprises approximately 1.0% of Midwest Trust Co’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Midwest Trust Co’s holdings in Walmart were worth $91,353,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WMT. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Walmart by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $49,015,626,000 after acquiring an additional 4,304,436 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Walmart by 1.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $19,046,104,000 after purchasing an additional 2,242,364 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $11,426,753,000 after purchasing an additional 6,517,394 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $6,458,529,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,626,852 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,526,238,000 after purchasing an additional 328,229 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $114.33 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $909.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.30 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a 50 day moving average of $114.23 and a two-hundred day moving average of $121.53. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $95.42 and a 52-week high of $135.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. The business had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period 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. As a group, analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.08, for a total value of $1,628,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 661,037 shares in the company, valued at approximately $82,021,470.96. This trade represents a 1.95% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 70,189 shares of company stock worth $8,377,320 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $135.00 price target (down from $137.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday. Truist Financial set a $140.00 price target on Walmart in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday. One 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.50.

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.