Nan Shan Life Insurance Co. Ltd. Purchases New Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Nan Shan Life Insurance Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 490,596 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $55,565,000. Walmart makes up about 1.8% of Nan Shan Life Insurance Co. Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Sankala Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Copos Capital S.a r.l. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: New products support Walmart’s broader growth strategy. Recent launches spanning fashion, groceries, health and home reinforce Walmart’s role in consumers’ everyday spending and could help sustain sales growth across multiple categories. However, investors are weighing these initiatives against the stock’s relatively elevated valuation. Is Walmart Undervalued Following Its Latest Product Launches?
• Positive Sentiment: International e-commerce economics are improving. Walmart International’s rising digital mix, stronger e-commerce growth and reduced losses could eventually support margin expansion, although ongoing investment and competitive pressures remain constraints. Walmart International’s Digital Mix Rises
• Positive Sentiment: Tigress Financial reiterated its Buy rating. The favorable analyst view provides support for the stock, particularly after its recent pullback. Tigress Financial Reiterates Buy Rating for Walmart
• Neutral Sentiment: Executive selling was modest and conducted under a Rule 10b5-1 plan. EVP Daniel Bartlett sold approximately $415,000 of shares, reducing his holdings by just 0.63%. The pre-arranged nature of the transaction makes it a limited trading signal. SEC Insider Trading Filing
• Negative Sentiment: The Department of Justice expanded its beef-price investigation to Walmart and other major retailers. The inquiry into rising retail beef prices could create legal, reputational or compliance risks, although no wrongdoing has been established. DOJ Expands Beef Price Investigation

Walmart Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $106.09 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $841.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 0.59. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $97.50 and a 52-week high of $135.15. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $111.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $119.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a net margin of 3.00% and a return on equity of 21.83%. The firm had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $186.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.68 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on WMT shares. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Walmart from $141.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Evercore set a $125.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 price objective (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Walmart from $147.00 to $132.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Gordon Haskett cut Walmart from a “buy” rating to an “accumulate” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $131.88.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.34, for a total transaction of $308,386.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 569,153 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $60,523,730.02. This represents a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.35, for a total value of $5,335,345.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 201,672 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,246,145.20. The trade was a 20.07% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold 81,242 shares of company stock valued at $8,836,446 over the last 90 days. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.