Cetera Trust Company N.A Invests $4.52 Million in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Cetera Trust Company N.A purchased a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm purchased 39,885 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $4,517,000. Walmart accounts for about 2.3% of Cetera Trust Company N.A’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 28.8% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,868,000 after buying an additional 21,939 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $800,000 after buying an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.5% in the first quarter. Peterson Wealth Management now owns 50,307 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,416,000 after buying an additional 1,715 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 0.9% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 13,008 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,272,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its holdings in Walmart by 1.2% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 91,341 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,931,000 after acquiring an additional 1,048 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $103.09 on Friday. The company has a market cap 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 12-month low of $95.79 and a 12-month 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. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $111.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $120.45.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $186.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.68 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. 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 EPS for the current year.

Key Walmart News

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on WMT shares. Gordon Haskett lowered shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to an “accumulate” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Walmart from $137.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 price objective (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Mizuho set a $130.00 price objective on Walmart in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $131.88.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.34, for a total transaction of $308,386.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 569,153 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $60,523,730.02. The trade was a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.35, for a total transaction of $5,335,345.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 201,672 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,246,145.20. This trade represents a 20.07% 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. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last three months, insiders sold 77,292 shares of company stock worth $8,421,143. 0.09% of the stock is owned by 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.