Eastern Bank Lowers Stock Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Eastern Bank lessened its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 1.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,191,899 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 22,744 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for about 2.2% of Eastern Bank’s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Eastern Bank’s holdings in Walmart were worth $116,544,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Operose Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 319.7% in the 1st quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. PFS Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 267.8% in the 2nd quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 320 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. boosted its holdings in Walmart by 98.2% in the 1st quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd boosted its holdings in Walmart by 432.4% in the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 362 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 55.3% in the 2nd quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 323 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT stock opened at $101.86 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $79.37 and a 1 year high of $106.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.79. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $101.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $97.26. The firm has a market cap of $812.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.29, a PEG ratio of 4.80 and a beta of 0.67.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 21st. The retailer reported $0.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.06). Walmart had a net margin of 3.08% and a return on equity of 21.45%. The company had revenue of $169.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.02 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.67 EPS. Walmart’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.580-0.600 EPS. FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.620 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on WMT. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Walmart from $101.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $111.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, September 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Walmart from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Tigress Financial boosted their price target on Walmart from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 3rd. Finally, Mizuho reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Thirty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $112.38.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.33, for a total value of $222,926.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 621,718 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $62,998,684.94. This represents a 0.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.21, for a total value of $2,003,925.36. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,373,576 shares in the company, valued at approximately $451,396,778.96. The trade was a 0.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 151,232 shares of company stock worth $15,083,877 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Profile

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, other units, and eCommerce worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club. It operates supercenters, supermarkets, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs, cash and carry stores, and discount stores under Walmart and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands; membership-only warehouse clubs; ecommerce websites, such as walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, PhonePe and other sites; and mobile commerce applications.