Bcwm LLC Reduces Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Bcwm LLC reduced its Walmart stake by 37.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 46,038 shares and leaving it with 76,735 shares valued at about $8.55 million.
• Large institutional investors remain heavily invested in Walmart, with firms like Vanguard, State Street, Geode, Norges Bank, and Fisher all holding or adding significant positions; institutions own about 26.76% of the stock.
• Walmart continues to see positive operating momentum, including heavy call-option buying, the expansion of Express Delivery with Subway meals, and strong fiscal Q1 results that met EPS estimates and beat revenue expectations.

Bcwm LLC cut its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 37.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 76,735 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 46,038 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises approximately 2.6% of Bcwm LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Bcwm LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $8,549,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Walmart by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $49,015,626,000 after purchasing an additional 4,304,436 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its position in Walmart by 1.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $19,046,104,000 after purchasing an additional 2,242,364 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 6.8% during the fourth 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 period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $6,458,529,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,626,852 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,526,238,000 after purchasing an additional 328,229 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart saw unusually heavy call-option buying, with traders purchasing 174,648 calls, about 43% above average volume. That suggests some investors are betting on a rebound or near-term upside.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart expanded its delivery business by adding Subway meals to its Express Delivery offering, allowing customers to order freshly made food through the Walmart app or website and receive it in as little as 30 minutes. The move could help Walmart boost order frequency, strengthen its convenience proposition, and take a larger share of meal budgets. Walmart Adds Express Delivery From In-Store Restaurants, Starting With Subway®
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholders backed Walmart’s 2026 annual meeting results, and management highlighted strong FY26 performance and its omnichannel model, reinforcing confidence in the company’s growth strategy. Walmart Announces 2026 Annual Shareholders' Meeting Voting Results

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Roth Mkm restated a "buy" rating and set a $138.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday. Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $135.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $137.00 price objective (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $140.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $138.85.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ WMT opened at $118.88 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $946.06 billion, a PE ratio of 41.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.44 and a beta of 0.59. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $125.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $121.07. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $93.43 and a 1-year high of $135.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last released 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. The business had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.61 earnings per share. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.92, for a total value of $359,368.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 577,853 shares in the company, valued at approximately $71,607,543.76. This trade represents a 0.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,250 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.77, for a total transaction of $167,212.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 635,593 shares of the company's stock, valued at $85,023,275.61. This trade represents a 0.20% 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. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 117,008 shares of company stock worth $14,492,704. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

About Walmart

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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