Candriam S.C.A. Sells 116,438 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Candriam S.C.A. decreased its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 18.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 498,364 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 116,438 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $61,937,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the first quarter worth $29,000. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 57.4% during the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the period. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 193.0% in the 4th quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total transaction of $1,308,670.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 120,203 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,300,550.91. The trade was a 8.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.63, for a total transaction of $2,303,320.08. Following the sale, the director owned 4,174,579 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $495,230,306.77. This represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 104,505 shares of company stock worth $12,858,514. 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: Walmart is rolling out more wellness benefits at Sam’s Club, including Weight Watchers perks, which could deepen member loyalty, support renewals, and boost recurring membership revenue. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is also getting attention for broad price cuts across groceries and household staples, which should help reinforce its reputation as a defensive, inflation-fighting retailer and drive traffic to stores and clubs. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer said Walmart is one of the “greatest companies on earth” and called the recent pullback an “incredible buying opportunity,” helping support sentiment around the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary around Walmart’s health event and its AI shopping efforts highlights longer-term strategic investments, but these items are more thematic than immediate catalysts for the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage comparing Walmart’s AI shopping race with Amazon underscores competitive pressure in retail tech, but it does not point to any near-term operational setback for Walmart. Article Title

Walmart Stock Performance

Walmart stock traded up $1.69 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $113.90. 12,452,368 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 21,901,888. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $120.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $121.96. The firm has a market cap of $906.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.97, a P/E/G ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $94.23 and a 52 week high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The company had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $174.84 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.61 earnings per share. The business's revenue 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, analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 8th. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating and issued a $150.00 price objective (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. KeyCorp restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $145.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $138.85.

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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