Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Sold by Community Trust & Investment Co.

Community Trust & Investment Co. decreased its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 4.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 243,690 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 10,297 shares during the period. Walmart comprises 1.4% of Community Trust & Investment Co.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Community Trust & Investment Co.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $27,600,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Walmart during the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 57.4% in the fourth 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 period. Sankala Group LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded Walmart from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Oppenheimer lowered shares of Walmart from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $142.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, May 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.56.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,710 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.10, for a total transaction of $419,601.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 626,299 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $70,834,416.90. This represents a 0.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 574,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $67,953,695.07. This trade represents a 0.50% 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. Insiders have sold a total of 71,439 shares of company stock worth $8,544,532 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ WMT opened at $111.85 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $890.11 billion, a PE ratio of 39.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.18 and a beta of 0.61. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $114.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $121.66. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $95.42 and a 1-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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate 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 analysts’ expectations of $174.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.61 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart 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.