Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Bought by Stack Financial Management Inc

Stack Financial Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,014,994 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,573 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for about 9.0% of Stack Financial Management Inc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its largest position. Stack Financial Management Inc’s holdings in Walmart were worth $114,958,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 57.4% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Sankala Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

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

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total value of $1,435,203.96. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 125,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,985,527.94. This represents a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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 3,775 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total value of $413,891.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 630,009 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $69,074,186.76. This trade represents a 0.60% 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. Insiders have sold a total of 70,189 shares of company stock valued at $8,377,320 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $115.27 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. 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. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $114.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $121.52. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $95.42 and a twelve month high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.61 EPS. The firm’s 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. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday. Freedom Capital raised Walmart from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 price objective (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.56.

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.