Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Acquired by IFP Advisors Inc

IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 9.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 154,200 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,641 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc’s holdings in Walmart were worth $17,465,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. Montgomery Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the second quarter worth approximately $32,000. Sankala Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Opioid settlement removes a major legal overhang. Walmart agreed to pay $50 million to resolve a federal opioid case, substantially less than the potential multibillion-dollar liability discussed by the Justice Department. The relatively modest settlement limits financial and legal uncertainty. Walmart Settles a Potential Multibillion-Dollar Opioid Case for $50 Million
• Positive Sentiment: Artificial intelligence could support operational and sales growth. TD Cowen identified Walmart among the retailers best positioned to benefit as AI improves shopping, merchandising and store operations. The opportunity could strengthen productivity and customer engagement over time. Walmart, Ulta and Other Retailers That Can Win With AI
• Positive Sentiment: Higher-margin advertising remains a growth opportunity. Walmart’s expanding advertising business is improving its sales mix as digital commerce grows, potentially lifting profits faster than revenue. Walmart’s Ad Business Expands
• Neutral Sentiment: Defensive characteristics may attract investors ahead of CPI and the Federal Reserve decision. Walmart is being viewed as a relatively stable, consumer-oriented holding during macroeconomic uncertainty, although interest-rate expectations could continue to influence its valuation. 5 Defensive Stocks to Watch as CPI and the Fed Put the Rally to the Test
• Neutral Sentiment: Strong participation by older shoppers in major summer e-commerce events indicates continued consumer traffic for Walmart, but the report also underscores intense competition with Amazon. Boomers Fueled Amazon and Walmart Summer Sales Crowds
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term earnings pressure could temper enthusiasm. Although advertising is high margin, costs associated with Walmart’s Vibe initiatives are expected to weigh on fiscal 2027 profit growth. With the stock’s elevated earnings multiple, investors may demand stronger earnings acceleration. Walmart’s Ad Business Expands

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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. Also, EVP Daniel Bartlett sold 3,950 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.14, for a total value of $415,303.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 622,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $65,433,773.86. The trade was a 0.63% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 69,264 shares of company stock valued at $7,401,242. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Walmart from $137.00 to $125.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. UBS Group reduced their target price on Walmart from $141.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 21st. Erste Group Bank cut Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $131.88.

Walmart Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $106.05 on Wednesday. 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 Inc. has a 1 year low of $98.88 and a 1 year high of $135.15. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $110.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $119.22. The company has a market cap of $841.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.29, a P/E/G ratio of 4.09 and a beta of 0.59.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a net margin of 3.00% and a return on equity of 21.83%. The business had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $186.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.68 earnings per share. The firm’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. As a group, analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc is a multinational retail and technology company that operates supercenters, discount stores, neighborhood markets, e-commerce platforms and membership warehouse clubs. Its merchandise includes groceries, apparel, electronics, home goods, health and beauty products, general merchandise and other consumer products.

Founded by Sam Walton in 1962 and incorporated in 1969, Walmart is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas. The company serves customers through operations in the United States and international markets, including Mexico, Canada, China, India and several countries in Central America and Africa.