Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Sold by Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC trimmed its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 3.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 140,660 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 4,794 shares during the period. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $15,931,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group lifted its stake in Walmart by 0.4% in the second quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 58,207 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $6,593,000 after acquiring an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. CMH Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 7.2% in the 2nd quarter. CMH Wealth Management LLC now owns 53,302 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,037,000 after purchasing an additional 3,565 shares during the last quarter. Denver PWM LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 12.9% in the 2nd quarter. Denver PWM LLC now owns 4,019 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $463,000 after purchasing an additional 458 shares during the last quarter. JNBA Financial Advisors raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 7.3% in the 2nd quarter. JNBA Financial Advisors now owns 1,647 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $187,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advocacy Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 5.5% in the 2nd quarter. Advocacy Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,235 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $480,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on WMT. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $141.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Weiss Ratings lowered Walmart from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Guggenheim set a $130.00 price target on Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald raised Walmart to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Walmart from $140.00 to $120.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report 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 issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $131.88.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,950 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.14, for a total transaction of $415,303.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 622,349 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,433,773.86. The trade was a 0.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.35, for a total value of $5,335,345.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 201,672 shares in the company, valued at $21,246,145.20. This trade represents a 20.07% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 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. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 81,242 shares of company stock worth $8,836,446. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: New products support Walmart’s broader growth strategy. Recent launches spanning fashion, groceries, health and home reinforce Walmart’s role in consumers’ everyday spending and could help sustain sales growth across multiple categories. However, investors are weighing these initiatives against the stock’s relatively elevated valuation. Is Walmart Undervalued Following Its Latest Product Launches?
• Positive Sentiment: International e-commerce economics are improving. Walmart International’s rising digital mix, stronger e-commerce growth and reduced losses could eventually support margin expansion, although ongoing investment and competitive pressures remain constraints. Walmart International’s Digital Mix Rises
• Positive Sentiment: Tigress Financial reiterated its Buy rating. The favorable analyst view provides support for the stock, particularly after its recent pullback. Tigress Financial Reiterates Buy Rating for Walmart
• Neutral Sentiment: Executive selling was modest and conducted under a Rule 10b5-1 plan. EVP Daniel Bartlett sold approximately $415,000 of shares, reducing his holdings by just 0.63%. The pre-arranged nature of the transaction makes it a limited trading signal. SEC Insider Trading Filing
• Negative Sentiment: The Department of Justice expanded its beef-price investigation to Walmart and other major retailers. The inquiry into rising retail beef prices could create legal, reputational or compliance risks, although no wrongdoing has been established. DOJ Expands Beef Price Investigation

Walmart Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $106.09 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $111.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $119.88. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $97.50 and a 12-month high of $135.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock has a market cap of $841.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.30, a PEG ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 0.59.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $187.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $186.64 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.68 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.