Fifth Third Bancorp Sells 74,666 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Fifth Third Bancorp reduced its Walmart stake by 2.0%, selling 74,666 shares in the second quarter and retaining 3.65 million shares valued at approximately $413.1 million.
• Institutional ownership remains significant, with major investors including Vanguard, State Street and Geode increasing their positions; institutions collectively own 26.76% of Walmart.
• Analysts maintain a broadly positive outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and $138.50 price target, but cautionary factors include elevated valuation, potential fuel-cost pressure on consumers and expectations for slower comparable-sales growth.

Fifth Third Bancorp lessened its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 2.0% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,647,232 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 74,666 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for approximately 0.7% of Fifth Third Bancorp's holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Fifth Third Bancorp's holdings in Walmart were worth $413,085,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Walmart by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $49,015,626,000 after buying an additional 4,304,436 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer's stock worth $19,046,104,000 after buying an additional 2,242,364 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer's stock worth $11,426,753,000 after acquiring an additional 6,517,394 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $6,458,529,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,626,852 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,526,238,000 after acquiring an additional 328,229 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $150.00 price target (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 18th. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their target price on Walmart from $147.00 to $146.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $137.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and set a $135.00 price target (down from $137.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $138.50.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: DA Davidson reaffirmed its Buy rating and set a $150 price target, implying substantial upside from recent trading levels. The bullish view supports the stock by pointing to Walmart’s defensive business model and continued customer traffic. Benzinga analyst rating report
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts say Walmart has not yet seen a major change in shopping behavior despite gasoline prices rising above $4 per gallon. The retailer is also gaining share among higher-income customers, which could help offset pressure on lower-income households. TheStreet gas price and Walmart shoppers article
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart leads a closely watched retail earnings week. Its results, along with reports from Target, Home Depot and Lowe’s, are expected to provide fresh evidence about consumer health, promotional activity and the effects of inflation and fuel costs. Yahoo Finance consumer landscape preview
• Negative Sentiment: Investor expectations appear cautious ahead of earnings. Oppenheimer downgraded Walmart to Perform and reportedly expects U.S. comparable sales growth of about 3%, below the roughly 3.8% consensus, with slower General Merchandise and Health & Wellness growth. Seeking Alpha Walmart earnings preview
• Negative Sentiment: Higher fuel prices could eventually squeeze discretionary spending among Walmart’s lower-income customers. Analysts also cite cautious guidance, elevated costs and a demanding valuation as reasons the stock may remain vulnerable if quarterly results or the outlook disappoint. Walmart’s previously reaffirmed fiscal 2027 guidance calls for 3.5%–4.5% net sales growth and adjusted EPS of $2.75–$2.85, rather than an upgrade. Seeking Alpha Walmart earnings setup

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total value of $1,308,670.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 120,203 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,300,550.91. This trade represents a 8.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $495,230,306.77. This trade 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. Insiders have sold a total of 70,189 shares of company stock valued at $8,377,320 in the last quarter. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $114.33 on Tuesday. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $95.42 and a 52 week high of $135.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $909.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.12, a PEG ratio of 4.30 and a beta of 0.61. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $114.23 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $121.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.61 EPS. 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 2.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Company 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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