Headlands Technologies LLC Cuts Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Headlands Technologies cut its Walmart stake by 52% in the second quarter, selling 78,279 shares and retaining 72,140 shares worth approximately $8.17 million. Institutional investors collectively own 26.76% of Walmart.
• Walmart reported quarterly earnings of $0.81 per share, beating estimates of $0.74, while revenue rose 5.9% year over year to $187.94 billion. The company issued fiscal 2027 EPS guidance of $2.80–$2.87.
• Analysts maintain a favorable outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $131.88 target price versus the stock’s $106.09 opening price. Recent insider sales were conducted under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, while a DOJ beef-price investigation introduces a potential risk.

Headlands Technologies LLC cut its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 52.0% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 72,140 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 78,279 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up approximately 0.9% of Headlands Technologies LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Headlands Technologies LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $8,171,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Walmart by 1.2% during 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 increased its holdings in Walmart by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $11,426,753,000 after buying an additional 6,517,394 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the second quarter worth about $7,455,131,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $6,458,529,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,626,852 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,526,238,000 after acquiring an additional 328,229 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owned 569,153 shares of the company's stock, valued at $60,523,730.02. The trade was a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,950 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.14, for a total value of $415,303.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 622,349 shares of the company's stock, valued at $65,433,773.86. The trade was a 0.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 81,242 shares of company stock valued at $8,836,446 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Erste Group Bank cut Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Truist Financial set a $114.00 price target on Walmart and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Mizuho set a $130.00 price target on Walmart in a research report on Monday, July 27th. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Guggenheim set a $130.00 price objective on Walmart and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $131.88.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: New products support Walmart’s broader growth strategy. Recent launches spanning fashion, groceries, health and home reinforce Walmart’s role in consumers’ everyday spending and could help sustain sales growth across multiple categories. However, investors are weighing these initiatives against the stock’s relatively elevated valuation. Is Walmart Undervalued Following Its Latest Product Launches?
• Positive Sentiment: International e-commerce economics are improving. Walmart International’s rising digital mix, stronger e-commerce growth and reduced losses could eventually support margin expansion, although ongoing investment and competitive pressures remain constraints. Walmart International's Digital Mix Rises
• Positive Sentiment: Tigress Financial reiterated its Buy rating. The favorable analyst view provides support for the stock, particularly after its recent pullback. Tigress Financial Reiterates Buy Rating for Walmart
• Neutral Sentiment: Executive selling was modest and conducted under a Rule 10b5-1 plan. EVP Daniel Bartlett sold approximately $415,000 of shares, reducing his holdings by just 0.63%. The pre-arranged nature of the transaction makes it a limited trading signal. SEC Insider Trading Filing
• Negative Sentiment: The Department of Justice expanded its beef-price investigation to Walmart and other major retailers. The inquiry into rising retail beef prices could create legal, reputational or compliance risks, although no wrongdoing has been established. DOJ Expands Beef Price Investigation

Walmart Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $106.09 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $841.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 0.59. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $111.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $119.88. 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 $97.50 and a 52-week high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $186.64 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.00% and a return on equity of 21.83%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $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. Equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.

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