Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Sold by Allworth Financial LP

Allworth Financial LP reduced its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 340,091 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 5,765 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP’s holdings in Walmart were worth $38,519,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Arizona State Retirement System raised its holdings in Walmart by 1.3% in the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 1,216,703 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $137,804,000 after acquiring an additional 15,676 shares in the last quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 5.9% in the 2nd quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 423,914 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $48,012,000 after purchasing an additional 23,457 shares during the last quarter. Empirical Finance LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 147,788 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $16,738,000 after purchasing an additional 5,357 shares during the last quarter. Nykredit A S acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 2nd quarter valued at about $90,774,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 71,500 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,098,000 after purchasing an additional 2,146 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI positioning could support long-term growth. TD Cowen identified Walmart as one of the retailers best positioned to benefit from artificial intelligence, including more personalized shopping, improved inventory management and greater operating efficiency. Walmart, Ulta and Other Retailers That Can Win With AI
• Positive Sentiment: Opioid settlement removes a major legal overhang. Walmart agreed to pay $50 million to resolve a federal opioid case, substantially below the potential multibillion-dollar liability previously suggested by the Justice Department. The relatively modest settlement limits financial damage, although compliance and reputational concerns remain. Walmart Settles a Potential Multibillion-Dollar Opioid Case for $50 Million
• Positive Sentiment: Advertising is improving Walmart’s profit mix. The company’s expanding advertising business is generating higher-margin revenue as digital sales grow, potentially supporting earnings and profitability over time. Walmart’s Ad Business Expands: Can High-Margin Growth Lift Profits?
• Neutral Sentiment: Defensive appeal may attract investors before CPI and the Fed decision. Walmart is being highlighted alongside other defensive companies as a relatively stable retailer during macroeconomic uncertainty. However, interest-rate expectations and inflation data could influence the broader market more than company-specific news. 5 Defensive Stocks to Watch as CPI and the Fed Put the Rally to the Test
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary remains favorable but highlights relative underperformance. Jim Cramer said he would buy Walmart after its recent weakness, while noting that Target’s turnaround has attracted more attention. The comments may support sentiment but do not change Walmart’s earnings outlook. Jim Cramer Says Buy Walmart as Target’s Turnaround Gains Momentum
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term profit growth could face pressure. While advertising is a promising high-margin growth engine, expected Vibe-related costs may weigh on fiscal 2027 earnings growth. Walmart’s premium valuation makes such cost pressure a potential stock headwind. Walmart’s Ad Business Expands: Can High-Margin Growth Lift Profits?

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Freedom Broker upgraded Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. UBS Group cut their price objective on Walmart from $141.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $130.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Mizuho set a $130.00 price target on Walmart in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $114.00 price target on Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $131.88.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT stock traded down $1.09 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $106.05. The company had a trading volume of 22,633,471 shares, compared to its average volume of 25,673,854. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $110.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $119.36. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $98.88 and a fifty-two week high of $135.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $841.37 billion, a PE ratio of 38.29, a P/E/G ratio of 4.09 and a beta of 0.59.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.35, for a total transaction of $5,335,345.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 201,672 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,246,145.20. This represents a 20.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 J. Bartlett sold 3,950 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 622,349 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,433,773.86. This trade represents a 0.63% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 81,242 shares of company stock valued at $8,836,446 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Profile

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.