Walmart Inc. $WMT Stock: First Merchants Corp Reduces Position

First Merchants Corp lowered its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 5.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 139,940 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 7,521 shares during the quarter. First Merchants Corp’s holdings in Walmart were worth $14,543,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 188,036,646 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $21,297,031,000 after buying an additional 2,107,781 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 2nd quarter valued at $7,455,131,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 6.4% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 28,142,040 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,497,493,000 after buying an additional 1,681,353 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,905,655,000. Finally, Amundi grew its position in shares of Walmart by 44.4% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 20,796,957 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,355,463,000 after buying an additional 6,393,326 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on WMT. Guggenheim set a $130.00 price target on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $113.00 to $136.00 in a research report on Thursday. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $130.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-three have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $132.41.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade: Deutsche Bank’s bullish call was the primary catalyst, with the firm arguing that Walmart’s earnings growth and business mix leave additional room for the stock to advance. Walmart is a buy as inflation attracts more customers, says Deutsche Bank
• Positive Sentiment: Digital and holiday-sales opportunity: Faster pickup, flexible delivery, digital tools, Walmart+ engagement, and expanding e-commerce could support holiday sales and increase customer loyalty. Can Walmart’s Faster Shopping Options Boost Holiday Sales Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: Defensive-sector rotation: Hotter inflation data encouraged investors to move away from technology and AI-related stocks toward consumer staples and retailers selling necessities, benefiting Walmart and peers.
• Positive Sentiment: Operational and workforce initiatives: Expanded employee healthcare benefits, including free prescriptions, may improve retention, while a new fulfillment hub and private-label fashion push broaden Walmart’s growth opportunities. Walmart Expands Employee Healthcare Benefits With Free Prescriptions And Paid NICU Leave
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart’s last reported quarter beat earnings and revenue expectations, but no new earnings release accompanied the latest move. The stock remains valued at a relatively high earnings multiple, making continued execution important.
• Negative Sentiment: Reports of a regulatory warning involving Walmart’s marketplace compliance and extensive recent insider selling represent potential investor concerns, although neither appears to be the main driver of the current move.

Walmart Stock Up 1.5%

WMT opened at $117.87 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $98.88 and a 52 week high of $135.15. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $108.68 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $116.21. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The company has a market cap of $935.15 billion, a PE ratio of 41.05, a P/E/G ratio of 4.43 and a beta of 0.58.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $187.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $186.64 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.83% and a net margin of 3.00%. The company’s revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.68 EPS. 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, research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Christopher Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.65, for a total transaction of $309,285.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 566,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $60,390,882.45. This trade represents a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO John Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.66, for a total transaction of $1,399,912.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 647,912 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,106,293.92. This trade represents a 1.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 81,219 shares of company stock valued at $8,604,429 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Profile

Walmart Inc (NASDAQ: WMT) is a multinational retailer that operates supercenters, discount stores, neighborhood markets, warehouse clubs and e-commerce platforms. Its merchandise includes groceries, apparel, electronics, home goods, health and wellness products, household essentials and general merchandise. Walmart also provides services such as grocery pickup and delivery, pharmacy services, financial products and digital advertising.

The company serves customers through its Walmart U.S., Walmart International and Sam’s Club segments.