Walmart Inc. $WMT Holdings Lifted by Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C.

Key Points

• Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. increased its stake in Walmart Inc. by purchasing an additional 15,900 shares, bringing its total holdings to approximately 3.99 million shares, valued at around $350.57 million.
• Walmart reported earnings of $0.68 per share for its most recent quarter, missing analysts' expectations of $0.74, along with revenue of $169.34 billion, below the forecast of $174.02 billion.
• Recent analyst ratings for Walmart include a "buy" from Citigroup and target price adjustments from multiple firms, with an overall consensus target price of $110.59.

Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. lifted its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 0.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,993,226 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 15,900 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for approximately 0.6% of Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C.'s portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $350,565,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in WMT. Operose Advisors LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 319.7% during the first quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the retailer's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the period. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. lifted its position in Walmart by 98.2% during the first quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the period. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd lifted its position in Walmart by 432.4% during the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 362 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 294 shares during the period. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Walmart during the first quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Lipe & Dalton lifted its position in Walmart by 95.2% during the first quarter. Lipe & Dalton now owns 410 shares of the retailer's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on WMT. Truist Financial reduced their target price on Walmart from $111.00 to $109.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Walmart from $101.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on Walmart from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $110.76.

Walmart Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of NYSE:WMT traded up $1.45 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $99.30. 18,968,099 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 18,104,100. The firm has a market cap of $792.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.33, a PEG ratio of 4.66 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.79. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $76.30 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $98.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $95.29.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 21st. The retailer reported $0.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $169.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.02 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.08% and a return on equity of 21.45%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.67 earnings per share. Walmart has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.580-0.600 EPS. FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.620 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.58, for a total transaction of $1,855,781.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 4,412,398 shares in the company, valued at $421,737,000.84. The trade was a 0.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.30, for a total value of $216,260.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 626,118 shares in the company, valued at $61,547,399.40. The trade was a 0.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 121,382 shares of company stock worth $11,718,441. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, other units, and eCommerce worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club. It operates supercenters, supermarkets, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs, cash and carry stores, and discount stores under Walmart and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands; membership-only warehouse clubs; ecommerce websites, such as walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, PhonePe and other sites; and mobile commerce applications.