EP Wealth Advisors LLC Purchases New Shares in Walmart Inc. $WMT

EP Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 337,787 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $38,258,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. MFA Wealth Services increased its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Realta Investment Advisors grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.0% during the first quarter. Realta Investment Advisors now owns 4,089 shares of the retailer's stock worth $508,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Compton Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 4.1% in the 1st 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 last quarter. Renaissance Group LLC grew its position in Walmart by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Group LLC now owns 9,636 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,074,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Calton & Associates Inc. raised its position in Walmart by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Calton & Associates Inc. now owns 27,220 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,033,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. 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: Analysts continue to project upside for WMT, with reports citing consensus price targets of $138.50 and $128.43—well above recent trading levels. Large call-option purchases also suggest some traders are positioning for a rebound. Walmart consensus price target Walmart call options activity
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s digital sales, automation and AI initiatives remain key parts of the growth story. Its Sparky shopping assistant has reportedly produced customer baskets about 40% larger than those of customers shopping without the tool, while Walmart is also exploring advertising and technology opportunities with OpenAI and ChatGPT. Walmart Sparky AI assistant
• Positive Sentiment: The new Scenario women’s fashion brand, with most items priced below $25, could help Walmart attract younger shoppers and expand its apparel business. The company is also increasing rapid-delivery capabilities through Flipkart in India. Walmart launches Scenario fashion brand
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are comparing Walmart’s digital and business-mix expansion with MercadoLibre’s broader ecosystem growth, highlighting Walmart’s improving online opportunity but also the high expectations embedded in its valuation. Walmart versus MercadoLibre growth comparison
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart’s U.S. comparable sales rose 2.6%, below the 3.8% analyst estimate and representing the company’s slowest comparable-sales growth in roughly six years. Higher gasoline prices and broader economic pressure may be making consumers more cautious. Walmart comparable-sales miss
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains a concern after Walmart’s substantial five-year gain. Analysts note that the stock trades at a premium relative to peers despite slower store-sales momentum, while Amazon continues to take share of U.S. clothing spending from Walmart. Walmart valuation concerns Amazon clothing share versus Walmart

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.34, for a total value of $308,386.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 569,153 shares in the company, valued at $60,523,730.02. This trade represents a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total value of $1,435,203.96. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 125,067 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,985,527.94. This trade represents a 8.74% 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 90 days, insiders have sold 26,648 shares of company stock valued at $3,085,798. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ WMT opened at $104.34 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $830.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.00 and a beta of 0.61. 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 twelve month low of $95.60 and a twelve month high of $135.15. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $112.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $120.78.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 the consensus estimate of $186.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.68 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on WMT. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Walmart from $147.00 to $132.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 21st. Mizuho set a $130.00 target price on Walmart in a report on Monday, July 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $125.00 price objective (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $126.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $131.88.

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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