Morningstar Investment Management LLC Increases Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Morningstar Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 9.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 59,711 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,919 shares during the quarter. Morningstar Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $7,421,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Pennington Partners & CO. LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.1% in the first quarter. Pennington Partners & CO. LLC now owns 9,313 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,160,000 after buying an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. GC Wealth Management RIA LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 5.9% during the 1st quarter. GC Wealth Management RIA LLC now owns 83,521 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $10,380,000 after acquiring an additional 4,626 shares during the period. Klingman & Associates LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC now owns 16,668 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,072,000 after purchasing an additional 442 shares in the last quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 15.4% in the 1st quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 83,316 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $10,393,000 after purchasing an additional 11,107 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Keebeck Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Walmart by 6.0% in the 1st quarter. Keebeck Wealth Management now owns 28,339 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,529,000 after purchasing an additional 1,603 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a 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. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.85.

Walmart Stock Performance

Walmart stock opened at $109.47 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $95.42 and a fifty-two week high of $135.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market cap of $871.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 0.60. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $116.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $121.97.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.66. The company had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $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. On average, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total value of $1,308,670.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 120,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,300,550.91. This represents a 8.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total value of $1,435,203.96. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 125,067 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,985,527.94. This represents a 8.74% 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. In the last three months, insiders sold 67,729 shares of company stock worth $8,124,931. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada reportedly reaffirmed an Outperform rating on Walmart, a supportive signal that may help bolster investor confidence. Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Earns Outperform Rating from Royal Bank Of Canada
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart was highlighted as a wide-moat, sustainable growth stock, reinforcing the view that it can keep delivering steady results even in choppy markets. Top Wide-Moat Stocks to Invest in for Sustainable Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart partnered with ReturnPro to refurbish and resell returned products, which could improve e-commerce efficiency and reduce losses from returns. Walmart (WMT) Partners With ReturnPro To Resell Returned Products
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage suggesting Walmart may be a solid growth stock could keep investors focused on its durable financial performance and scale advantages. Is Walmart (WMT) a Solid Growth Stock? 3 Reasons to Think “Yes”
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are closely watching Walmart ahead of earnings, with previews focusing on what the company may report rather than providing a fresh catalyst by themselves. Walmart’s quarterly earnings preview: What you need to know
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart being one of Zacks’ most-searched stocks indicates strong investor interest, but not necessarily a direct fundamental driver. Investors Heavily Search Walmart Inc. (WMT): Here is What You Need to Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles discussing Walmart’s dividend profile may appeal to income investors, but they are unlikely to move the stock on their own. Does Walmart pay dividends? Its yield & payouts explained
• Negative Sentiment: One article noted Walmart’s extended share-price weakness and suggested the stock could be in a comeback setup, reflecting lingering concern after a recent downtrend. Walmart stock’s extended downturn could trigger a possible comeback
• Negative Sentiment: A bearish comparison piece argued investors might prefer another stock over WMT, citing weaker recent share performance and softer quarterly results. 3 Reasons to Sell WMT and 1 Stock to Buy Instead

Walmart Company 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.