Compass Financial Management LLC Makes New Investment in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Compass Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 17,336 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,941,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the first quarter worth $29,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 57.4% during the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the period. Sankala Group LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.34, for a total value of $308,386.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 569,153 shares in the company, valued at approximately $60,523,730.02. This represents a 0.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,710 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.10, for a total transaction of $419,601.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 626,299 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $70,834,416.90. The trade was a 0.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Insiders have sold 26,648 shares of company stock worth $3,085,798 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Freedom Broker raised shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Walmart from $141.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Tigress Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $155.00 price objective (up from $150.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Guggenheim set a $130.00 target price on Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $131.88.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to project upside for WMT, with reports citing consensus price targets of $138.50 and $128.43—well above recent trading levels. Large call-option purchases also suggest some traders are positioning for a rebound. Walmart consensus price target Walmart call options activity
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s digital sales, automation and AI initiatives remain key parts of the growth story. Its Sparky shopping assistant has reportedly produced customer baskets about 40% larger than those of customers shopping without the tool, while Walmart is also exploring advertising and technology opportunities with OpenAI and ChatGPT. Walmart Sparky AI assistant
• Positive Sentiment: The new Scenario women’s fashion brand, with most items priced below $25, could help Walmart attract younger shoppers and expand its apparel business. The company is also increasing rapid-delivery capabilities through Flipkart in India. Walmart launches Scenario fashion brand
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are comparing Walmart’s digital and business-mix expansion with MercadoLibre’s broader ecosystem growth, highlighting Walmart’s improving online opportunity but also the high expectations embedded in its valuation. Walmart versus MercadoLibre growth comparison
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart’s U.S. comparable sales rose 2.6%, below the 3.8% analyst estimate and representing the company’s slowest comparable-sales growth in roughly six years. Higher gasoline prices and broader economic pressure may be making consumers more cautious. Walmart comparable-sales miss
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains a concern after Walmart’s substantial five-year gain. Analysts note that the stock trades at a premium relative to peers despite slower store-sales momentum, while Amazon continues to take share of U.S. clothing spending from Walmart. Walmart valuation concerns Amazon clothing share versus Walmart

Walmart Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of WMT opened at $104.34 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $112.47 and a 200-day simple moving average of $120.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $830.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.67, a P/E/G ratio of 4.00 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $95.60 and a 52 week high of $135.15.

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