43,769 Shares in Walmart Inc. $WMT Acquired by Fischer Financial Services Inc.

Fischer Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 43,769 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $4,957,000. Walmart accounts for 1.2% of Fischer Financial Services Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest position.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WMT. Ninepoint Partners LP bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the 2nd quarter worth $813,000. SGL Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Walmart during the 2nd quarter worth $4,395,000. Advisors Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,751,000. Cannon Wealth Management Services LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the second quarter valued at about $305,000. Finally, MJP Associates Inc. ADV acquired a new stake in Walmart in the second quarter worth about $2,628,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on WMT. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Mizuho set a $130.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, July 27th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Oppenheimer lowered Walmart from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Erste Group Bank cut Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.56.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ WMT opened at $113.26 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $95.42 and a twelve month high of $135.15. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $114.47 and a 200 day moving average of $121.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $901.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.74, a PEG ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 0.61.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. Walmart’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.61 EPS. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,710 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.10, for a total transaction of $419,601.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 626,299 shares in the company, valued at $70,834,416.90. This represents a 0.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total transaction of $1,435,203.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 125,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,985,527.94. The trade was a 8.74% decrease in their position. 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. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 71,439 shares of company stock worth $8,544,532. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart completed its acquisition of Vibe.co, a self-service streaming-TV advertising platform, strengthening Walmart Connect’s ability to sell targeted advertisements using its retail and shopping data. The move could support higher-margin, faster-growing advertising revenue over time. Walmart Bets On Streaming Ads
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is expanding its presence in sports collectibles and trading cards, including at the National Sports Collectors Convention. The initiative could help grow marketplace activity, customer engagement and alternative revenue streams. Walmart Steps Up Collectibles Push
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s dividend and defensive, blue-chip profile remain supportive factors ahead of earnings, although the roughly 0.9% yield is relatively modest. Reason to Buy Walmart Before Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Options traders are positioning for Walmart’s earnings, with one short-term strategy presented as capable of producing a 14% return. This highlights expected volatility but does not provide a fundamental valuation signal. Walmart Earnings Options Trade
• Neutral Sentiment: Former CEO Doug McMillon joining a Federal Reserve task force on retail data and artificial intelligence raises Walmart’s policy profile. It may showcase the company’s data capabilities, but increased scrutiny of pricing practices could create longer-term regulatory and reputational risks. Walmart and Federal Reserve Data Talks
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart and the Walmart Foundation committed $500,000 in grants and in-kind support for Spokane wildfire relief. The contribution may strengthen community goodwill but is unlikely to materially affect earnings.
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group trimmed its fiscal 2027 EPS estimate to $2.89 from $2.90 and maintained a Hold rating, reinforcing the view that near-term earnings growth may be limited.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts continue to flag expense deleverage: U.S. sales grew 4.5% in fiscal first quarter, but depreciation and healthcare costs pushed the expense rate 56 basis points higher. Margin pressure is a key risk for the upcoming report. Walmart Expense Deleverage Concerns

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.