Maloon Powers Pitre Higgins & Dennehy LLC Takes Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Maloon Powers Pitre Higgins & Dennehy LLC bought a new position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 5,362 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $607,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Montgomery Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Walmart during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Sankala Group LLC bought a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Dunkin’ delivery expands Walmart’s digital ecosystem. Walmart’s partnership with Dunkin’ adds restaurant delivery to its three-month-old service, broadening convenience offerings and giving the retailer another opportunity to increase customer engagement, order frequency and delivery revenue while competing with DoorDash and Uber Eats. Walmart Shoppers Can Now Get Dunkin’ Delivered
• Positive Sentiment: Fraud prevention could become an additional retail technology opportunity. Walmart’s work with Amazon on fraud prevention highlights its efforts to protect shoppers and potentially develop technology and services that improve trust, retention and the economics of digital commerce. Amazon and Walmart Turn Fraud Prevention Into a Retail Product
• Neutral Sentiment: Retail comparisons show Walmart remains a key consumer bellwether. Recent large-format retailer results point to a divided, or “K-shaped,” consumer economy: higher-income shoppers continue spending in some discretionary categories, while value-focused consumers face pressure from elevated grocery costs. This creates both traffic opportunities and potential margin challenges for Walmart. Retail Earnings Expose a Bigger Divide in the U.S. Consumer Economy
• Neutral Sentiment: Haleon’s improved shelf placement reinforces Walmart’s importance to suppliers. Better positioning for Haleon brands such as Sensodyne may support product visibility and sales, though the report primarily benefits Haleon and does not materially change Walmart’s financial outlook. Haleon Secures Better Shelf Space at Walmart
• Negative Sentiment: Tariff and margin concerns are weighing on the investment case. Mixed retail results suggest Walmart may face pressure balancing value pricing with higher product costs, while its elevated earnings multiple leaves less room for execution disappointments.
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory scrutiny adds an overhang. The Department of Justice’s investigation into rising beef prices has expanded to Walmart and other retailers. No wrongdoing has been established, but the inquiry creates potential legal, reputational and compliance risks.
• Neutral Sentiment: An executive share sale was limited and prearranged. EVP Daniel Bartlett sold 3,950 shares worth approximately $415,000 under a Rule 10b5-1 plan, reducing his direct holdings by only 0.63%; the transaction is therefore a weak trading signal. Daniel Bartlett Sells Walmart Shares

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on WMT shares. Citigroup cut their target price on Walmart from $147.00 to $132.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $113.00 price target on Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. BNP Paribas Exane reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 price target (down from $146.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Freedom Capital raised shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Finally, Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $131.88.

Walmart Stock Down 1.2%

WMT stock opened at $107.14 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $98.88 and a 1-year high of $135.15. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $110.81 and a 200-day moving average price of $119.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $850.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.68, a P/E/G ratio of 4.09 and a beta of 0.59.

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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $186.64 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.68 earnings per share. Walmart’s revenue 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 analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP David Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the firm’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 sale, the executive vice president owned 125,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,985,527.94. This trade represents a 8.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Christopher Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.34, for a total transaction of $308,386.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 569,153 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $60,523,730.02. This represents a 0.51% 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. Insiders have sold a total of 81,242 shares of company stock worth $8,836,446 over the last quarter. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.