Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. Acquires 1,062,529 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Harel Insurance Investments massively increased its Walmart stake in Q1, buying 1,062,529 additional shares and lifting its holdings by 1,352% to 1,141,116 shares valued at about $141.8 million.
• Wall Street remains bullish on Walmart, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $138.85, despite one recent downgrade to Hold.
• Walmart’s fundamentals remain solid: the company matched EPS expectations, beat revenue estimates, and reported 7.4% year-over-year revenue growth, while insiders have recently sold shares.

Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. boosted its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 1,352.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,141,116 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 1,062,529 shares during the period. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $141,816,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Signet Financial Management LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 11.7% during the 1st quarter. Signet Financial Management LLC now owns 3,203 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $398,000 after purchasing an additional 336 shares during the last quarter. SouthState Bank Corp raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. SouthState Bank Corp now owns 265,896 shares of the retailer's stock worth $33,046,000 after purchasing an additional 10,018 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 116,180 shares of the retailer's stock worth $14,440,000 after buying an additional 4,064 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC now owns 15,283 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,899,000 after buying an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Conservest Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in Walmart by 3.3% during the first quarter. Conservest Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 4,488 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $558,000 after buying an additional 144 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group set a $141.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Wolfe Research reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $137.00 target price (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $138.85.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.19, for a total value of $342,751.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 574,953 shares in the company, valued at approximately $67,953,695.07. The trade was a 0.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, 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 transaction of $1,308,670.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 120,203 shares in the company, valued at $14,300,550.91. The trade was a 8.38% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 103,170 shares of company stock worth $12,692,133 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Walmart Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $113.70 on Wednesday. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $94.43 and a 52-week high of $135.15. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $119.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $122.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $904.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.89, a P/E/G ratio of 4.28 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.66. The business 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 company's revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.61 earnings per share. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Walmart News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart continues to benefit from strong momentum in higher-margin businesses such as advertising, membership, and e-commerce, which are growing faster than its core store operations and supporting the long-term growth story. Where Will Walmart Stock Be in 5 Years?
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart just announced its 53rd dividend increase, reinforcing its appeal as a defensive, income-producing stock for investors looking for steady cash returns. Walmart just declared its 53rd dividend increase
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage also highlights Walmart+ membership growth and faster delivery as drivers of recurring revenue and deeper customer engagement, which could help sustain sales momentum. Can Walmart+ Membership Keep WMT's Growth Momentum Alive?

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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