Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. Sells 26,476 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. lowered its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 27.1% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 71,143 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 26,476 shares during the period. Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $8,842,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Walmart by 3.3% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 16,122,394 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,003,601,000 after acquiring an additional 520,035 shares during the period. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Walmart in the 1st quarter valued at $835,000. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 159,828 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $19,863,000 after purchasing an additional 3,795 shares during the period. Resolute Wealth Strategies LLC grew its position in Walmart by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Resolute Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 20,075 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,495,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pacific Wealth Strategies Group Inc. grew its position in Walmart by 29.3% in the 1st quarter. Pacific Wealth Strategies Group Inc. now owns 9,387 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,167,000 after purchasing an additional 2,127 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group set a $141.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Erste Group Bank lowered Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 8th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.85.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.63, for a total transaction of $2,303,320.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,174,579 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $495,230,306.77. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total transaction of $1,435,203.96. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 125,067 shares in the company, valued at $14,985,527.94. This represents a 8.74% 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. Insiders have sold 87,145 shares of company stock worth $10,691,920 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $114.24 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $909.13 billion, a PE ratio of 40.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.26 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $94.43 and a 12-month high of $135.15. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $118.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $122.11.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.61 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue 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. Research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: June U.S. retail sales held up, suggesting consumers are still spending as Walmart heads into the back-to-school season; that could support traffic and sales volumes if the company remains aggressive on pricing. Retail Sales Hold Up as Walmart and Amazon Go Back to School
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is also being discussed in multiple market and analyst roundups, with commentary focusing on its strong digital growth and role as a defensive stock, but these pieces do not appear to include a major new business update. Walmart Commands a 36.74X Forward P/E: Is the Stock Worth Buying?
• Neutral Sentiment: An article about AI and retail highlighted that Walmart is investing in automation while still emphasizing workers, which reinforces its long-term strategy but is unlikely to move the stock on its own. Walmart’s people chief says these 10 jobs are still hot in the age of AI
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts argue Walmart’s premium valuation leaves limited room for disappointment, with one note saying momentum alone may not justify the stock’s high forward P/E. Walmart’s Momentum Cannot Justify The Premium
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart has also been the subject of bearish commentary saying the recent sell-off may not be over, adding to investor caution around the shares. Walmart: The Sell-Off Isn’t Over Yet (Rating Upgrade)

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.