Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Sold by Berger Financial Group Inc

Berger Financial Group Inc lessened its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 7.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 82,993 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 6,950 shares during the quarter. Berger Financial Group Inc’s holdings in Walmart were worth $10,314,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $6,458,529,000. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 188.1% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,199,907,000 after buying an additional 7,614,172 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $11,426,753,000 after buying an additional 6,517,394 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $592,848,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Walmart by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $49,015,626,000 after buying an additional 4,304,436 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is cutting prices on thousands of items, which could attract more shoppers and support sales volume. Walmart Looks to Win Over Inflation-Weary Americans With Thousands of Price Cuts
• Positive Sentiment: The retailer’s lower prices on summer barbecue staples and other essentials are getting high-profile attention, including praise from the White House, which may boost consumer sentiment and brand loyalty. Walmart Lowers Prices on Thousands of Items, Including Beef and Coca-Cola
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are also weighing Walmart’s valuation and recent stock pullback after the shares cooled from their 52-week high, but the company’s underlying business remains solid. Jim Cramer’s unexpected 1-word reaction to Walmart stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Some commentary suggests the stock’s recent decline reflects broader concerns about rich multiples rather than a change in Walmart’s operations. Walmart (WMT) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: Here’s Why
• Negative Sentiment: One article argues that grocery price cuts may not be enough to satisfy investors or shoppers if broader margin pressure and competitive “grocery wars” intensify. It’s Grocery Wars. Walmart Cuts Food Prices, but Shoppers Are Fed Up.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their target price on Walmart from $147.00 to $146.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 target price (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.85.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT stock opened at $111.56 on Wednesday. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $94.23 and a 1 year high of $135.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $887.80 billion, a PE ratio of 39.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.12 and a beta of 0.60. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $121.36 and a 200-day simple moving average of $122.05.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 120,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,300,550.91. This trade represents a 8.38% 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. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total transaction of $413,891.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 630,009 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $69,074,186.76. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 104,505 shares of company stock worth $12,858,514. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

About Walmart

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.