Bank of New York Mellon Corp Raises Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Bank of New York Mellon increased its Walmart stake by 6.4% in the first quarter, adding 1.68 million shares to hold 28.14 million shares worth about $3.5 billion. Walmart now ranks as its 20th-largest position and makes up about 0.6% of the firm’s portfolio.
• Walmart recently posted solid quarterly results, with earnings of $0.66 per share matching expectations and revenue of $177.75 billion, up 7.4% year over year. The company also raised guidance for FY2027 and continues to attract analyst support, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy.
• Recent headlines were mixed: positive items included a regenerative agriculture partnership, back-to-school marketing, and a 53rd dividend increase, while negative commentary pointed to valuation concerns, relative stock weakness, and some operational friction in delivery. Insiders have also sold shares recently, which may add to investor caution.

Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 6.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 28,142,040 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 1,681,353 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up about 0.6% of Bank of New York Mellon Corp's holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned 0.35% of Walmart worth $3,497,493,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the first quarter worth $29,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 57.4% in the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 193.0% in the fourth quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart, General Mills, and ADM announced a collaboration to expand regenerative agriculture across 40,000 Midwest wheat acres, a move that supports the company’s sustainability goals and could strengthen supplier relationships over time. General Mills, ADM, Walmart Partner to Accelerate Regenerative Agriculture Across 40,000 Midwest Wheat Acres
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart highlighted its back-to-school push, emphasizing low prices, convenience, and style, which could support near-term traffic and seasonal sales as families shop for the new school year. Walmart Helps Americans Navigate Their Annual Back-to-School Reset with Unmatched Value, Convenience and Style
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart declared its 53rd dividend increase, reinforcing its reputation as a dependable income stock and signaling management confidence in cash generation. Walmart just declared its 53rd dividend increase
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage comparing Walmart with Johnson & Johnson framed both as defensive names with different strategies, but it did not introduce a clear new catalyst for WMT shares. Walmart vs Johnson & Johnson: Two Defensive Plays, Diverging Strategies and One Winner
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and media pieces again raised valuation concerns, noting Walmart’s high earnings multiple and suggesting the stock may be expensive after a strong multi-year run, which can cap upside even if fundamentals remain solid. Walmart (WMT) Stock Could Be 16% Overvalued Following Dividend Hike
• Negative Sentiment: A Zacks note said Walmart stock sank while the broader market gained, pointing to relative weakness and reinforcing investor concern that the shares may be losing momentum. Walmart (WMT) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: Here's Why
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive commentary from Jefferies favoring Amazon as a cheaper way to gain exposure to AI infrastructure and retail may pressure Walmart by reminding investors of stronger alternatives in retail-related exposure. AMZN Stock Is Cheaper Than WMT And GOOGL
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that some Spark delivery workers are frustrated by a new app feature could indicate operational friction in Walmart’s delivery network, though the financial impact is unclear for now. Walmart delivery workers say a new app feature is sending them running around stores

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock opened at $112.53 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $895.52 billion, a PE ratio of 39.48, a P/E/G ratio of 4.24 and a beta of 0.60. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $94.43 and a 52 week high of $135.15. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $119.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $122.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.66. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.61 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on WMT. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price target on shares of Walmart from $147.00 to $146.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $150.00 price objective (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Truist Financial set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Walmart from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 18th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $138.85.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.21, for a total value of $2,566,989.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,193,995 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $554,488,078.95. The trade was a 0.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through 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 the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.08, for a total transaction of $1,628,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 661,037 shares in the company, valued at approximately $82,021,470.96. This trade represents a 1.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 87,145 shares of company stock worth $10,691,920. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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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