NewEdge Advisors LLC Has $357.81 Million Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

NewEdge Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 2.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,879,062 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 58,596 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises approximately 1.3% of NewEdge Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest position. NewEdge Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $357,810,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MFA Wealth Services increased its position in shares of Walmart by 0.7% during the first quarter. MFA Wealth Services now owns 10,909 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,356,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Realta Investment Advisors raised its stake in Walmart by 2.0% in the first quarter. Realta Investment Advisors now owns 4,089 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $508,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Compton Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 4.1% in the first quarter. Compton Financial Group LLC now owns 2,081 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $259,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. Renaissance Group LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Renaissance Group LLC now owns 9,636 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,074,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Calton & Associates Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Calton & Associates Inc. now owns 27,220 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,033,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.63, for a total value of $2,303,320.08. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,174,579 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $495,230,306.77. This represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 on 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 120,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,300,550.91. The trade was a 8.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 71,439 shares of company stock valued at $8,544,532 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UBS sees potential earnings catalyst: UBS expects a steady second quarter and said market expectations appear balanced, or even subdued. Although Walmart U.S. comparable-sales growth is expected to slow to about 3.5% from 4.1% in the prior quarter, UBS believes investors may be focusing too narrowly on comps and overlooking the company’s longer-term earnings potential. Walmart seen delivering steady second quarter as UBS backs long-term earnings story
• Positive Sentiment: Advertising business expanded: Walmart completed its acquisition of Vibe.co, a self-service streaming-TV advertising platform. The technology will be integrated into Walmart Connect, potentially improving advertisers’ ability to buy and measure connected-TV campaigns and supporting Walmart’s higher-margin advertising growth. Walmart completes its acquisition of TV advertising company Vibe.co
• Neutral Sentiment: Fuel costs pressured margins, but guidance held: Walmart absorbed an estimated $175 million fuel-cost impact in the first quarter. However, unchanged fiscal 2027 guidance suggests management still expects profitability to improve, limiting the immediate negative implication for the stock. Walmart Faces Higher Fuel Costs
• Neutral Sentiment: Executive stock sale disclosed: EVP Daniel Bartlett sold 3,710 shares for approximately $419,600 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale reduced his holdings by only 0.59%, making it a limited signal of changing management confidence. Daniel Bartlett Sells 3,710 Shares of Walmart Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Oppenheimer downgraded the stock: Oppenheimer moved Walmart to Perform from Outperform, citing pharmacy-related headwinds and a full, “peakish” valuation. The firm warned that slower U.S. comparable-sales growth could trigger a lower valuation multiple ahead of earnings. Walmart Faces an Oppenheimer Downgrade

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Truist Financial set a $140.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $147.00 to $146.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.56.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $112.34 on Thursday. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $95.42 and a 1 year high of $135.15. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $114.72 and its 200 day moving average is $121.78. The stock has a market cap of $894.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.42, a PEG ratio of 4.16 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. The business had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. Walmart’s revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last 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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.