Danske Bank A S Invests $475.44 Million in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Danske Bank acquired 4.2 million Walmart shares worth approximately $475.4 million in the second quarter, making Walmart 0.9% of its portfolio and its 16th-largest holding.
• Walmart reported quarterly adjusted EPS of $0.81 and revenue of $187.94 billion, surpassing estimates, while e-commerce, advertising and membership businesses posted strong growth.
• Despite the earnings beat, U.S. comparable sales growth missed expectations and Walmart’s third-quarter guidance fell below consensus. Analysts maintained a broadly bullish stance, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $131.88.

Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 4,197,779 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $475,440,000. Walmart makes up 0.9% of Danske Bank A S's investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. Danske Bank A S owned 0.05% of Walmart at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. MFA Wealth Services grew its holdings in Walmart by 0.7% during the first quarter. MFA Wealth Services now owns 10,909 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,356,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Realta Investment Advisors raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.0% in the first quarter. Realta Investment Advisors now owns 4,089 shares of the retailer's stock worth $508,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. Compton Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 4.1% in the first quarter. Compton Financial Group LLC now owns 2,081 shares of the retailer's stock worth $259,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. Renaissance Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Renaissance Group LLC now owns 9,636 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,074,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Calton & Associates Inc. lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Calton & Associates Inc. now owns 27,220 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,033,000 after buying an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. Tigress Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $155.00 price objective (up from $150.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 29th. BTIG Research decreased their target price on shares of Walmart from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Truist Financial set a $114.00 price target on shares of Walmart and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $137.00 price objective (down from $146.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $131.88.

Walmart News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart reported adjusted earnings of $0.81 per share and revenue of $187.94 billion, beating consensus estimates of $0.74 and $186.62 billion, respectively. Revenue increased 5.9% year over year. Walmart earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Growth businesses remain strong: global e-commerce sales rose 23%, advertising revenue increased 38%, and global membership revenue grew 17%. These trends support the long-term investment case despite slower core-store growth. Walmart second-quarter highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart plans to use approximately $2.9 billion in tariff refunds to help lower prices, potentially strengthening its value proposition as consumers become more budget-conscious. The rollout of tap-to-pay, including Apple Pay and Google Pay, may also improve checkout convenience. Walmart tap to pay rollout
• Neutral Sentiment: Several analysts retained bullish ratings—including buy, outperform, and overweight—but lowered price targets after the earnings release. New targets range from $120 to $140, indicating analysts still see meaningful upside but have moderated their expectations.
• Negative Sentiment: U.S. comparable sales grew 2.6%, below expectations near 3.5%, marking Walmart’s weakest domestic comparable-sales growth in more than six years. Analysts cited weakness in health and wellness and questioned the trajectory of the core U.S. business.
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter guidance fell short of consensus: Walmart projected adjusted EPS of $0.62–$0.64 versus $0.68 expected and revenue of $183.1–$184.5 billion versus $188.2 billion expected. The timing of Flipkart’s promotional event is also expected to reduce quarterly sales growth by more than 100 basis points.
• Negative Sentiment: The stock’s elevated valuation increases sensitivity to any slowdown, while higher energy costs and consumer trade-offs are raising broader concerns about the health of U.S. retail spending.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $103.70 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $113.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $121.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $825.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.44, a P/E/G ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 0.61. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $95.42 and a 12-month high of $135.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.83% and a net margin of 3.00%.The company had revenue of $187.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $186.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.68 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total value of $1,308,670.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 120,203 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,300,550.91. The trade was a 8.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,710 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.10, for a total transaction of $419,601.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 626,299 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $70,834,416.90. This represents a 0.59% 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 90 days, insiders have sold 57,064 shares of company stock valued at $6,697,788. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

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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