Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Boosts Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 4.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 195,790 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,971 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $22,175,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 57.4% during the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Sankala Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $115.27 on Friday. 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 business’s 50 day simple moving average is $114.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $121.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $917.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.32 and a beta of 0.61. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $95.42 and a one year high of $135.15.

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 firm had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.61 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday. Oppenheimer lowered shares of Walmart from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Mizuho set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.56.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s e-commerce business continues to be viewed as a significant growth engine, with its digital capabilities increasingly resembling a broader commerce platform rather than a traditional big-box retailer. Walmart’s E-Commerce Engine Roars
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies said potential tariff refunds could support Walmart’s price-leadership strategy. Reinvesting the money in lower prices could widen its price gap with competitors and help drive market-share gains, particularly in consumables. Walmart set for in-line Q2
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “Outperform” rating, providing some support for the long-term investment case despite near-term sales concerns. RBC Reaffirms Outperform Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is expected to deliver largely in-line second-quarter results. The key catalysts are management’s second-half outlook, tariff-refund treatment and the potential effect on pricing and margins. Walmart Q2 earnings preview
• Neutral Sentiment: The company will release results before the market opens on August 20 and host a conference call with CEO John Furner and CFO John David Rainey. Walmart to Host Second Quarter Earnings Conference Call
• Negative Sentiment: Deutsche Bank expects Walmart to miss second-quarter comparable-sales estimates, while high gasoline prices are pressuring household budgets and raising the retailer’s operating costs. Walmart Seen Missing Comparable Sales Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts have cited elevated fuel costs, rising expenses and valuation concerns as reasons for Walmart’s recent weakness, despite solid revenue growth and e-commerce momentum. Walmart Stock Slides About 12% in 3 Months
• Negative Sentiment: Amazon’s AI-powered Alexa shopping tools could intensify competition for grocery-list creation and digital shopping relationships, areas strategically important to Walmart’s e-commerce growth. Amazon’s Alexa Shopping Strategy

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total value 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 trade represents a 8.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.19, for a total transaction of $342,751.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 574,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $67,953,695.07. This trade represents a 0.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 a total of 70,189 shares of company stock worth $8,377,320 over the last ninety days. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.