Walmart Inc. $WMT Stock Position Lifted by Proficio Capital Partners LLC

Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 16.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 88,622 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 12,394 shares during the quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $10,037,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. MFA Wealth Services increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.7% in the first quarter. MFA Wealth Services now owns 10,909 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,356,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Realta Investment Advisors boosted its position in Walmart by 2.0% during the first quarter. Realta Investment Advisors now owns 4,089 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $508,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Compton Financial Group LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 4.1% during the first quarter. Compton Financial Group LLC now owns 2,081 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $259,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Group LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Group LLC now owns 9,636 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,074,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Calton & Associates Inc. grew its stake in Walmart by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Calton & Associates Inc. now owns 27,220 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,033,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: New products support Walmart’s broader growth strategy. Recent launches spanning fashion, groceries, health and home reinforce Walmart’s role in consumers’ everyday spending and could help sustain sales growth across multiple categories. However, investors are weighing these initiatives against the stock’s relatively elevated valuation. Is Walmart Undervalued Following Its Latest Product Launches?
• Positive Sentiment: International e-commerce economics are improving. Walmart International’s rising digital mix, stronger e-commerce growth and reduced losses could eventually support margin expansion, although ongoing investment and competitive pressures remain constraints. Walmart International’s Digital Mix Rises
• Positive Sentiment: Tigress Financial reiterated its Buy rating. The favorable analyst view provides support for the stock, particularly after its recent pullback. Tigress Financial Reiterates Buy Rating for Walmart
• Neutral Sentiment: Executive selling was modest and conducted under a Rule 10b5-1 plan. EVP Daniel Bartlett sold approximately $415,000 of shares, reducing his holdings by just 0.63%. The pre-arranged nature of the transaction makes it a limited trading signal. SEC Insider Trading Filing
• Negative Sentiment: The Department of Justice expanded its beef-price investigation to Walmart and other major retailers. The inquiry into rising retail beef prices could create legal, reputational or compliance risks, although no wrongdoing has been established. DOJ Expands Beef Price Investigation

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup cut their price target on Walmart from $147.00 to $132.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 21st. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, DA Davidson set a $132.00 target price on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $131.88.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $106.09 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $111.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $119.88. 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 $97.50 and a 52 week high of $135.15. The firm has a market cap of $841.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.30, a P/E/G ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 0.59.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $187.94 billion for 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.68 EPS. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.35, for a total transaction of $5,335,345.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 201,672 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,246,145.20. The trade was a 20.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.34, for a total transaction of $308,386.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 569,153 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $60,523,730.02. The trade was a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 81,242 shares of company stock valued at $8,836,446 in the last three months. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.