Emerald Investment Advisers LLC Buys New Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Emerald Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 71,766 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $8,128,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $6,458,529,000. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 188.1% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,199,907,000 after purchasing an additional 7,614,172 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its stake in Walmart by 54.0% during the 2nd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 18,607,297 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,107,462,000 after purchasing an additional 6,525,224 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 6.8% during 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 purchasing an additional 6,517,394 shares during the period. Finally, Capital International Investors acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $592,848,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to project upside for WMT, with reports citing consensus price targets of $138.50 and $128.43—well above recent trading levels. Large call-option purchases also suggest some traders are positioning for a rebound. Walmart consensus price target Walmart call options activity
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s digital sales, automation and AI initiatives remain key parts of the growth story. Its Sparky shopping assistant has reportedly produced customer baskets about 40% larger than those of customers shopping without the tool, while Walmart is also exploring advertising and technology opportunities with OpenAI and ChatGPT. Walmart Sparky AI assistant
• Positive Sentiment: The new Scenario women’s fashion brand, with most items priced below $25, could help Walmart attract younger shoppers and expand its apparel business. The company is also increasing rapid-delivery capabilities through Flipkart in India. Walmart launches Scenario fashion brand
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are comparing Walmart’s digital and business-mix expansion with MercadoLibre’s broader ecosystem growth, highlighting Walmart’s improving online opportunity but also the high expectations embedded in its valuation. Walmart versus MercadoLibre growth comparison
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart’s U.S. comparable sales rose 2.6%, below the 3.8% analyst estimate and representing the company’s slowest comparable-sales growth in roughly six years. Higher gasoline prices and broader economic pressure may be making consumers more cautious. Walmart comparable-sales miss
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains a concern after Walmart’s substantial five-year gain. Analysts note that the stock trades at a premium relative to peers despite slower store-sales momentum, while Amazon continues to take share of U.S. clothing spending from Walmart. Walmart valuation concerns Amazon clothing share versus Walmart

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup cut their price objective on Walmart from $147.00 to $132.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 21st. UBS Group lowered their target price on Walmart from $141.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 21st. Mizuho set a $130.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $131.88.

Walmart Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of WMT opened at $104.34 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $112.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $120.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $830.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.67, a P/E/G ratio of 4.00 and a beta of 0.61. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $95.60 and a 1-year high of $135.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $187.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $186.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.68 EPS. The business’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. Analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.34, for a total value of $308,386.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 569,153 shares in the company, valued at approximately $60,523,730.02. This represents a 0.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total transaction of $1,435,203.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 125,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,985,527.94. This represents a 8.74% 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 have sold 26,648 shares of company stock worth $3,085,798 over the last 90 days. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.