E Fund Management Co. Ltd. Invests $24.68 Million in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• E Fund Management acquired 217,891 Walmart shares in the second quarter, worth approximately $24.68 million. Institutional investors now own 26.76% of the retailer.
• Walmart beat quarterly expectations with earnings of $0.81 per share versus $0.74 expected and revenue of $187.94 billion, up 5.9% year over year.
• Despite a “Moderate Buy” consensus and $131.88 average price target, analysts have lowered some targets as comparable-sales growth slowed and concerns persist that Walmart’s valuation remains high.

E Fund Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 217,891 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $24,678,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 57.4% in the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. Sankala Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Turim 21 Investimentos Ltda. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the first quarter valued at $37,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Up 2.7%

NASDAQ WMT opened at $106.49 on Tuesday. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $113.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $121.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $95.42 and a 52 week high of $135.15. The company has a market capitalization of $847.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.61.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.34, for a total value of $308,386.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 569,153 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $60,523,730.02. This represents a 0.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.63, for a total value of $2,303,320.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,174,579 shares in the company, valued at $495,230,306.77. The trade was a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 57,064 shares of company stock valued at $6,697,788. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unusually heavy call-option activity may indicate increased near-term bullish interest. Investors purchased 166,747 call options, about 33% above the typical daily volume. However, options activity is speculative and does not guarantee further gains.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is rolling out tap-to-pay and NFC capabilities across its U.S. stores and clubs. The move could improve checkout convenience, support mobile-wallet adoption and strengthen customer engagement as digital sales and membership become more important. Can Walmart's Tap to Pay Push Strengthen Customer Engagement?
• Positive Sentiment: The company is introducing Scenario, a mostly sub-$25 fashion brand aimed at younger shoppers. Walmart hopes the offering will attract value-conscious consumers and improve its competitive position against Amazon in apparel. Walmart Aims to Take On Amazon With Trendier Apparel
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart’s latest quarter exceeded expectations, with adjusted earnings of $0.81 per share versus roughly $0.74 expected and revenue of $187.94 billion, up 5.9% year over year. Full-year sales guidance was also raised to 4%-5%, but the outlook implies moderating growth.
• Negative Sentiment: U.S. comparable sales growth slowed to 2.6%, compared with 4.1% in the prior quarter and 4.6% a year earlier. Investors remain concerned that cautious consumers and uneven spending are pressuring traffic and discretionary purchases.
• Negative Sentiment: Several analysts reduced Walmart’s price targets or issued more cautious forecasts after the earnings report. Critics also argue that the stock remains expensive at roughly 36 times forward earnings despite decelerating growth, limiting upside.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on WMT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Walmart from $137.00 to $125.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. KeyCorp reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. DA Davidson set a $132.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Walmart from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $131.88.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source