Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Sold by Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund decreased its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 550,814 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 8,766 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up 0.6% of Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Walmart were worth $57,241,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WMT. Montgomery Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Turim 21 Investimentos Ltda. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Pingora Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. PMV Capital Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Team Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Mizuho set a $135.00 price target on shares of Walmart and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $132.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Gordon Haskett increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Finally, Argus decreased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $145.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-nine have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $131.51.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 5,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.00, for a total value of $575,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 110,432 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,699,680. The trade was a 4.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO John Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.66, for a total transaction of $1,399,912.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 647,912 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $69,106,293.92. The trade was a 1.99% 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 have sold a total of 268,222 shares of company stock valued at $31,604,051 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target to $149 and maintained a Buy rating, while JPMorgan lifted its target to $145 and kept an Overweight rating. The higher targets reflect analysts’ confidence in Walmart’s growth potential. UBS rating JPMorgan rating
• Positive Sentiment: ETF buying provided a supportive signal: 51 funds added Walmart shares, with reported purchases totaling $99.5 million on Nov. 6. ETF holdings article
• Neutral Sentiment: Sam’s Club is benefiting from higher traffic, membership growth and digital sales, though declining average ticket values are weighing on comparable-sales growth. The results will indicate whether customer momentum can translate into stronger sales. Sam’s Club article
• Neutral Sentiment: A report listed Walmart short interest at zero shares as of Nov. 10, suggesting no reported short-position overhang, although the accompanying claim of a significant increase conflicts with that figure.
• Negative Sentiment: RBC said Walmart is unlikely to deliver a “significant” upside surprise in its upcoming quarterly results, which may limit near-term enthusiasm ahead of earnings. RBC earnings outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually high put-options activity ahead of earnings points to some investor hedging or concern about a possible share-price decline; options activity alone does not establish that a drop is expected. Options activity article

Walmart Trading Down 0.1%

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $125.55 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The business’s 50 day moving average is $113.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $118.66. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $98.88 and a 52 week high of $135.15. The company has a market cap of $996.08 billion, a PE ratio of 44.40, a P/E/G ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 0.53.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.83% and a net margin of 3.00%. The business had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $186.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.68 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. 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, analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Company Profile

Walmart is a multinational retailer that operates discount stores, supercenters, neighborhood markets, and membership warehouse clubs. Its business includes Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam’s Club. The company sells groceries and a broad range of general merchandise, including apparel, electronics, household goods, and health and wellness products. Walmart also serves customers through e-commerce, with services such as order pickup and delivery. Founded by Sam Walton in 1962, Walmart is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas.