Fred Alger Management LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Fred Alger Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 42.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 198,179 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 146,328 shares during the period. Fred Alger Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $22,156,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $6,458,529,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 188.1% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,199,907,000 after purchasing an additional 7,614,172 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 6.8% in the fourth 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. Capital International Investors purchased a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $592,848,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Walmart by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $49,015,626,000 after purchasing an additional 4,304,436 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s advertising business is reportedly surging as marketplace activity, seller spending, and digital engagement boost retail media revenue, reinforcing a fast-growing higher-margin profit stream. Walmart’s Advertising Revenues Soar: Is Retail Media Paying Off?
• Positive Sentiment: New delivery options, including Subway meals through Walmart delivery, suggest the company is continuing to expand convenience offerings and deepen customer engagement. Walmart Inc (WMT) Adds Subway Meals Delivery. Get the Bigger Picture
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart was highlighted among the best S&P 500 stocks to buy now according to analysts, signaling continued confidence in its defensive business model and growth profile. Walmart (WMT) – Among the 14 Best S&P 500 Stocks to Buy Now According to Analysts
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly earnings season coverage showed Walmart outperforming many large-format grocery and general merchandise peers, reinforcing relative strength versus competitors. Q1 Earnings Outperformers: Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) And The Rest of the Large-format Grocery & General Merchandise Retailer Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles debated whether Walmart’s recent rally is fully justified and whether the stock’s party is over, but these pieces were more commentary than a direct business catalyst. Walmart (WMT) Stock After Recent Retail Sentiment Shifts Is The Rally Justified
• Neutral Sentiment: One executive stock sale and a price-prediction style article could create some headline noise, but they do not appear to materially change the company’s operating outlook. Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) EVP Sells $1,435,203.96 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: One article argued another e-commerce and fintech company may be a better buy than Walmart, which could slightly temper enthusiasm at the margin, though it does not alter Walmart’s fundamentals. Forget Walmart: This E-Commerce and Fintech Giant Is Growing 40% YoY and Is a Better Buy

Walmart Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $121.03 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $963.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.51 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The business has a 50-day moving average of $125.09 and a two-hundred day moving average of $121.96. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $93.62 and a 1 year high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. The company had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.61 EPS. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.63, for a total transaction of $2,303,320.08. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,174,579 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $495,230,306.77. The trade was a 0.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total value of $1,308,670.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 120,203 shares in the company, valued at $14,300,550.91. This trade represents a 8.38% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 128,986 shares of company stock worth $15,927,908 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their target price on Walmart from $147.00 to $146.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, March 6th. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 target price (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.85.

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.