Balefire LLC Has $1.65 Million Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Balefire LLC increased its position in Walmart Inc. by 256.1%, owning 16,865 shares valued at approximately $1.65 million after acquiring an additional 12,129 shares during the second quarter.
• Walmart missed quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $0.68 EPS compared to an estimated $0.74, and revenues of $169.34 billion, below the consensus estimate of $174.02 billion.
• Multiple institutional investors have significantly increased their stakes in Walmart, with 26.76% of the company's stock now owned by institutional investors.

Balefire LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 256.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,865 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 12,129 shares during the quarter. Balefire LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $1,649,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the first quarter valued at approximately $2,532,331,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 9,896.9% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 7,939,728 shares of the retailer's stock worth $697,029,000 after purchasing an additional 7,860,306 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in Walmart by 30.1% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 33,292,749 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,922,770,000 after purchasing an additional 7,706,201 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Walmart by 527.1% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,739,038 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $591,620,000 after purchasing an additional 5,664,484 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its holdings in Walmart by 28,684.8% during the first quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 4,229,354 shares of the retailer's stock worth $371,295,000 after buying an additional 4,214,661 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Price Performance

NYSE WMT opened at $103.40 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The company has a market cap of $824.39 billion, a PE ratio of 38.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.98 and a beta of 0.65. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $77.49 and a 52 week high of $105.30. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $98.93 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $95.48.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 21st. The retailer reported $0.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.74 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $169.34 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 last year, the firm earned $0.67 EPS. Walmart has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.580-0.600 EPS. FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.620 EPS. Research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,610 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.71, for a total transaction of $166,973.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 645,968 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $66,993,341.28. This represents a 0.25% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.37, for a total value of $214,214.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 623,918 shares of the company's stock, valued at $60,750,895.66. 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 151,232 shares of company stock valued at $14,822,719. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on WMT shares. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $115.00 price objective (up from $112.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, August 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Walmart from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $117.00 price objective on Walmart and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $106.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, Tigress Financial upped their price target on Walmart from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $110.76.

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.

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