Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Has $110.35 Million Stock Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Walmart by 3.7%, acquiring an additional 40,363 shares, bringing its total holdings to 1,128,569 shares valued at approximately $110.35 million.
• Several institutional investors have significantly boosted their positions in Walmart, with Operose Advisors LLC leading by increasing its ownership by 319.7% during the first quarter.
• Walmart reported disappointing earnings for Q2, with EPS of $0.68 falling short of expectations, and revenue coming in at $169.34 billion, below the anticipated $174.02 billion.

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,128,569 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 40,363 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for approximately 1.9% of Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $110,351,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 425,961,042 shares of the retailer's stock worth $37,395,120,000 after purchasing an additional 3,224,154 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in Walmart by 30.1% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 33,292,749 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,922,770,000 after acquiring an additional 7,706,201 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in Walmart by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 30,874,987 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,710,665,000 after acquiring an additional 387,424 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Walmart by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 29,188,142 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,562,427,000 after acquiring an additional 823,020 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in Walmart during the 1st quarter worth about $2,532,331,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:WMT traded up $0.46 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $102.79. The stock had a trading volume of 12,856,457 shares, compared to its average volume of 16,199,768. The firm has a market cap of $819.53 billion, a PE ratio of 38.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.82 and a beta of 0.65. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $99.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $95.72. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $78.98 and a twelve month high of $106.11.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 21st. The retailer reported $0.68 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $169.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.02 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.08% and a return on equity of 21.45%. The business's revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.67 earnings per share. Walmart has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.580-0.600 EPS. FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.620 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $117.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Mizuho reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $101.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $112.03.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,610 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.71, for a total value of $166,973.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 645,968 shares in the company, valued at $66,993,341.28. This trade represents a 0.25% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CTO Suresh Kumar sold 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.47, for a total transaction of $3,104,100.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer owned 1,787,200 shares in the company, valued at $184,921,584. This trade represents a 1.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 151,232 shares of company stock worth $14,960,635 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Walmart Profile

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, other units, and eCommerce worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club. It operates supercenters, supermarkets, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs, cash and carry stores, and discount stores under Walmart and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands; membership-only warehouse clubs; ecommerce websites, such as walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, PhonePe and other sites; and mobile commerce applications.