Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Bought by Rakuten Investment Management Inc.

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 11.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,216,599 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 122,056 shares during the period. Walmart makes up 0.3% of Rakuten Investment Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position. Rakuten Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $129,933,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Walmart by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 188,036,646 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $21,297,031,000 after acquiring an additional 2,107,781 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in Walmart in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $7,455,131,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in Walmart by 6.4% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 28,142,040 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,497,493,000 after purchasing an additional 1,681,353 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in Walmart in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,905,655,000. Finally, Amundi lifted its position in Walmart by 44.4% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 20,796,957 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,355,463,000 after purchasing an additional 6,393,326 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on WMT. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Walmart from $140.00 to $120.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Walmart from $137.00 to $131.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 21st. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of Walmart from $140.00 to $120.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 21st. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Walmart from $141.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $132.41.

Walmart Trading Down 2.2%

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $124.86 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $111.08 and a 200-day moving average price of $118.46. The stock has a market cap of $990.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.08, a P/E/G ratio of 4.61 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $98.88 and a 12 month high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a net margin of 3.00% and a return on equity of 21.83%. The company had revenue of $187.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $186.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.68 earnings per share. Walmart’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CTO Suresh Kumar sold 166,342 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.21, for a total transaction of $20,494,997.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 1,632,223 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $201,106,195.83. This trade represents a 9.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.60, for a total transaction of $1,582,875.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 634,790 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,555,674. This trade represents a 2.03% 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. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 268,222 shares of company stock worth $31,604,051. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart may be positioned to beat its next earnings estimates, according to Zacks, which points to its history of earnings surprises and factors supporting another potential beat. Why Walmart is Poised to Beat Earnings Estimates Again
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s expanded Sparky AI shopping assistant could support holiday sales by helping customers shop and potentially encouraging larger orders. Can Walmart’s Expanded Sparky AI Boost Holiday Shopping and Sales?
• Positive Sentiment: A report says Walmart’s e-commerce sales are growing faster than Amazon’s, suggesting its online business is gaining momentum. 1 Stat That Makes Walmart Hard to Ignore This November
• Neutral Sentiment: CTO Suresh Kumar sold 166,342 shares, and EVP Daniel Bartlett sold 3,346 shares. Both trades were made under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans; the sales may draw attention, but do not necessarily indicate a change in their views of the company. Kumar SEC filing Bartlett SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish commentary highlights Walmart’s high valuation, with one article returning to a “strong sell” rating and another warning that the valuation may be stretched. Valuation concerns could weigh on sentiment even as the business outlook remains constructive. Walmart: Back To The Strong Sell Rating Walmart’s Defensive Reputation and Valuation

Walmart Profile

Walmart Inc (NASDAQ:WMT) operates a global retail business through a network of supercenters, supermarkets, discount stores, neighborhood markets, warehouse clubs and e-commerce platforms. Its stores and websites sell a broad assortment of merchandise, including groceries, consumables, health and wellness products, apparel, electronics, home goods, toys and other general merchandise.

The company organizes its operations into Walmart U.S., Walmart International and Sam’s Club U.S. Walmart U.S.