12,045 Shares in Walmart Inc. $WMT Purchased by Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD.

Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD. purchased a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 12,045 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,364,000. Walmart makes up 0.8% of Asahi Life Asset Management CO. LTD.'s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest holding.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $6,458,529,000. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 188.1% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,199,907,000 after purchasing an additional 7,614,172 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG increased its holdings in Walmart by 54.0% during the 2nd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 18,607,297 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,107,462,000 after purchasing an additional 6,525,224 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Walmart by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $11,426,753,000 after purchasing an additional 6,517,394 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $592,848,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Up 2.7%

NASDAQ WMT opened at $106.49 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $847.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.61. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $95.42 and a 52 week high of $135.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $113.06 and a 200-day moving average of $121.09.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $186.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.68 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.86 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total value of $413,891.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 630,009 shares in the company, valued at $69,074,186.76. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total value of $1,308,670.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 120,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,300,550.91. This trade represents a 8.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 57,064 shares of company stock worth $6,697,788 over the last 90 days. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unusually heavy call-option activity may indicate increased near-term bullish interest. Investors purchased 166,747 call options, about 33% above the typical daily volume. However, options activity is speculative and does not guarantee further gains.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is rolling out tap-to-pay and NFC capabilities across its U.S. stores and clubs. The move could improve checkout convenience, support mobile-wallet adoption and strengthen customer engagement as digital sales and membership become more important. Can Walmart's Tap to Pay Push Strengthen Customer Engagement?
• Positive Sentiment: The company is introducing Scenario, a mostly sub-$25 fashion brand aimed at younger shoppers. Walmart hopes the offering will attract value-conscious consumers and improve its competitive position against Amazon in apparel. Walmart Aims to Take On Amazon With Trendier Apparel
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart’s latest quarter exceeded expectations, with adjusted earnings of $0.81 per share versus roughly $0.74 expected and revenue of $187.94 billion, up 5.9% year over year. Full-year sales guidance was also raised to 4%-5%, but the outlook implies moderating growth.
• Negative Sentiment: U.S. comparable sales growth slowed to 2.6%, compared with 4.1% in the prior quarter and 4.6% a year earlier. Investors remain concerned that cautious consumers and uneven spending are pressuring traffic and discretionary purchases.
• Negative Sentiment: Several analysts reduced Walmart’s price targets or issued more cautious forecasts after the earnings report. Critics also argue that the stock remains expensive at roughly 36 times forward earnings despite decelerating growth, limiting upside.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on WMT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Walmart from $137.00 to $125.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on Walmart from $137.00 to $131.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Walmart to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $137.00 price objective (down from $146.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.

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