Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Bought by Moody National Bank Trust Division

Moody National Bank Trust Division grew its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 18.6% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 54,876 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,598 shares during the period. Moody National Bank Trust Division’s holdings in Walmart were worth $5,703,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 188,036,646 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $21,297,031,000 after purchasing an additional 2,107,781 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in Walmart during the 2nd quarter valued at about $7,455,131,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in Walmart by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 36,820,550 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,102,546,000 after buying an additional 920,969 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in Walmart by 6.4% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 28,142,040 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,497,493,000 after buying an additional 1,681,353 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in Walmart in the second quarter valued at about $2,905,655,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ WMT traded up $2.13 on Tuesday, hitting $107.20. 22,007,285 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 25,313,301. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $108.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $116.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $850.50 billion, a PE ratio of 38.70, a P/E/G ratio of 3.98 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $98.88 and a 1-year high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $186.64 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.00% and a return on equity of 21.83%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $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. As a group, analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Evercore set a $125.00 price target on Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $141.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Tigress Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $155.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, August 31st. Oppenheimer restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 price target (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $131.74.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Advertising and e-commerce growth: Walmart Connect revenue increased 43% excluding VIZIO, while U.S. e-commerce sales rose 24% year over year in fiscal 2027’s second quarter. Growth in advertising, membership and delivery could improve Walmart’s digital margins and reduce reliance on low-margin retail sales. Can Walmart Connect Keep Powering WMT’s Digital Profit Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: Expanded television advertising opportunity: A partnership with Warner Bros. represents Walmart’s effort to capture a larger share of television advertising spending. The initiative could broaden Walmart Connect’s reach and create another source of higher-margin revenue. Walmart moves to grab a bigger chunk of the TV ad business
• Positive Sentiment: Strong visibility with AI shopping agents: Walmart and Costco are reportedly among the retailers most frequently cited by AI agents. That recognition could support customer acquisition and digital sales, though the broader AI-driven shopping market is still developing. Which Retailers Do AI Agents Cite the Most?
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually heavy call-option activity: Investors purchased 267,098 call options, approximately 99% above average daily call volume. This indicates increased bullish speculation or hedging, but options activity alone does not establish a durable change in fundamentals.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation could limit upside: Walmart’s roughly 39-times earnings multiple and PEG ratio near 4 suggest the market already prices in substantial growth. Investors may therefore demand continued strong execution from Connect, e-commerce and membership businesses before assigning the stock a higher valuation.
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend appeal is limited: Walmart has raised its dividend for 53 consecutive years, but its yield is below 1%, making the stock more dependent on earnings growth and capital appreciation than income.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Christopher Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.65, for a total transaction of $309,285.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 566,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $60,390,882.45. This trade represents a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal 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, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.66, for a total value of $1,399,912.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 647,912 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $69,106,293.92. This represents a 1.99% 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 sold a total of 81,219 shares of company stock valued at $8,604,429 over the last quarter. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walmart Profile

Walmart Inc (NASDAQ: WMT) is a multinational retailer that operates supercenters, discount stores, neighborhood markets, warehouse clubs and e-commerce platforms. Its merchandise includes groceries, apparel, electronics, home goods, health and wellness products, household essentials and general merchandise. Walmart also provides services such as grocery pickup and delivery, pharmacy services, financial products and digital advertising.

The company serves customers through its Walmart U.S., Walmart International and Sam’s Club segments.