Nvest Financial LLC Grows Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Nvest Financial LLC increased its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 46.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 58,169 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 18,391 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises approximately 2.7% of Nvest Financial LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Nvest Financial LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $6,481,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Calton & Associates Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Calton & Associates Inc. now owns 27,220 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,033,000 after buying an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,561 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $285,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Capstone Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Capstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,955 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $552,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the period. Ellenbecker Investment Group increased its stake in Walmart by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Ellenbecker Investment Group now owns 14,475 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,613,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, Matrix Trust Co raised its position in Walmart by 20.0% in the fourth quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 547 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Trading Up 3.4%

WMT stock opened at $116.89 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $125.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $120.98. 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 Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $93.43 and a fifty-two week high of $135.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $930.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.01, a P/E/G ratio of 4.22 and a beta of 0.59.

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

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BTIG Research reaffirmed its Buy rating on Walmart and raised its price target to $145, implying meaningful upside and reinforcing the view that the company’s scale and execution remain strong. BTIG Research reaffirms Buy on Walmart
• Positive Sentiment: Tigress Financial also lifted its price target on Walmart to $155, citing the retailer’s AI-driven platform shift and digital expansion, which suggests analysts still see Walmart as a long-term growth story. Tigress Financial raises Walmart price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles compared Walmart with Target and highlighted Walmart’s defensive profile, strong scale, and upper-income customer gains. These pieces are more supportive of the investment case than directly market-moving. Walmart vs. Target long-term hold
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart-backed OnePay is expanding beyond the retailer’s ecosystem, which could broaden the fintech business over time, but the impact on WMT shares is indirect for now. OnePay expansion
• Negative Sentiment: A class action lawsuit over Walmart’s Massachusetts hiring practices adds legal and compliance risk, with allegations that the company improperly requires criminal history disclosure and honesty tests. Walmart hiring practices lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Another lawsuit tied to allegedly contaminated SpaghettiOs sold at Walmart raises product-liability concerns, which could weigh on investor sentiment even if the case is isolated. SpaghettiOs lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Amazon overtaking Walmart for the top spot in the Fortune 500 is a symbolic setback, underscoring Amazon’s faster revenue growth and intensifying competition in retail. Amazon overtakes Walmart in Fortune 500

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total transaction of $1,308,670.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 120,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,300,550.91. This represents a 8.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.92, for a total transaction of $359,368.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 577,853 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $71,607,543.76. The trade was a 0.50% 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 have sold 117,008 shares of company stock worth $14,492,704 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on WMT shares. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $137.00 target price (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 15th. Mizuho raised their target price on Walmart from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Erste Group Bank raised Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 price target (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.85.

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.