Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 10,944 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Principal Financial Group Inc. lowered its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 0.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,917,839 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 10,944 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.07% of Walmart worth $670,254,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 57.4% in the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Sankala Group LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Turim 21 Investimentos Ltda. bought a new position in Walmart in the 1st quarter valued at $37,000. 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. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price objective on Walmart from $147.00 to $146.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Freedom Capital raised Walmart from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.56.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total transaction of $1,435,203.96. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 125,067 shares in the company, valued at $14,985,527.94. This trade represents a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,710 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.10, for a total value of $419,601.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 626,299 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $70,834,416.90. This trade represents a 0.59% decrease in their position. 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 ninety days, insiders have sold 70,189 shares of company stock valued at $8,377,320. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walmart News Roundup

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

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $115.27 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $114.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $121.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $917.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.45, a PEG ratio of 4.30 and a beta of 0.61. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $95.42 and a one 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.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.66. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.84 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.61 EPS. The business’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. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.