Hayek Kallen Investment Management Takes Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Hayek Kallen Investment Management acquired a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 117,484 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $13,306,000. Walmart accounts for about 4.0% of Hayek Kallen Investment Management’s holdings, making the stock its 5th largest position.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $19,046,104,000 after acquiring an additional 2,242,364 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $11,426,753,000 after acquiring an additional 6,517,394 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the second quarter worth $7,455,131,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $6,458,529,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,626,852 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,526,238,000 after purchasing an additional 328,229 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s fiscal second-quarter results showed continued momentum beyond traditional store sales: revenue reached approximately $187.9 billion, global e-commerce grew 23%, and advertising revenue increased 38%. These higher-growth businesses could support future margins and cash flow. Walmart Growth Engine Hums
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentary continue to point to Walmart’s expanding e-commerce, digital advertising, memberships, convenience-led fulfillment, automation and AI initiatives as reasons the recent decline could represent a long-term buying opportunity. Walmart’s scale and value-focused pricing remain important competitive advantages. Walmart Continues to Grow Beyond Retail
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart settled a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit alleging that its pharmacies unlawfully contributed to the opioid epidemic. Resolving the case removes an overhang and reduces legal uncertainty, although the financial terms and any broader implications remain important for investors. Walmart Settles U.S. Opioid Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights a potentially tougher consumer environment. Walmart’s comparable sales growth was 3.4% excluding pharmacy-related items, while middle-income shoppers appear increasingly focused on necessities and limiting discretionary purchases. Walmart and Home Depot Results
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are also questioning whether Walmart’s valuation adequately reflects its strong performance. A high earnings multiple, slower core sales growth and the stock’s position below its moving averages have amplified the impact of the recent selloff. Walmart Selloff Analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Executive Vice President Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares worth approximately $5.3 million. The sale was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan to cover taxes on vested equity awards, making it a weaker bearish signal than discretionary insider selling. Walmart Insider Trading Filing

Walmart Price Performance

WMT stock opened at $103.09 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $111.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $120.39. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $95.79 and a 52-week high of $135.15. The company has a market capitalization of $820.40 billion, a PE ratio of 37.22, a P/E/G ratio of 3.92 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $186.64 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.00% and a return on equity of 21.83%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company 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. Analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,710 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.10, for a total value of $419,601.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 626,299 shares in the company, valued at approximately $70,834,416.90. This represents a 0.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 125,067 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,985,527.94. This represents a 8.74% 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. Insiders sold a total of 77,292 shares of company stock worth $8,421,143 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Freedom Broker upgraded Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Guggenheim set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Walmart from $140.00 to $120.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Walmart from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $131.88.

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.