Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS Sells 11,801 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Kornitzer Capital Management trimmed its Walmart position by 2.3% in the first quarter, selling 11,801 shares and leaving it with 495,932 shares valued at about $61.6 million.
• Several other major investors recently adjusted their Walmart stakes, while institutional ownership overall stands at 26.76% of the company’s stock.
• Walmart recently posted solid results, with quarterly EPS matching expectations at $0.66 and revenue of $177.75 billion topping estimates; analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus target of $138.85.

Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS lessened its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 2.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 495,932 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 11,801 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for about 1.3% of Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS's investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS's holdings in Walmart were worth $61,634,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $6,458,529,000. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 188.1% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,199,907,000 after acquiring an additional 7,614,172 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 6.8% during the 4th 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. Capital International Investors acquired a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $592,848,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer's stock worth $49,015,626,000 after acquiring an additional 4,304,436 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.19, for a total value of $342,751.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 574,953 shares of the company's stock, valued at $67,953,695.07. This represents a 0.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available 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 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 transaction of $1,308,670.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 120,203 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,300,550.91. This trade represents a 8.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 104,505 shares of company stock worth $12,858,514 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial set a $140.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $137.00 price objective (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $138.85.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is rolling out more wellness benefits at Sam’s Club, including Weight Watchers perks, which could deepen member loyalty, support renewals, and boost recurring membership revenue. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is also getting attention for broad price cuts across groceries and household staples, which should help reinforce its reputation as a defensive, inflation-fighting retailer and drive traffic to stores and clubs. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer said Walmart is one of the “greatest companies on earth” and called the recent pullback an “incredible buying opportunity,” helping support sentiment around the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary around Walmart’s health event and its AI shopping efforts highlights longer-term strategic investments, but these items are more thematic than immediate catalysts for the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage comparing Walmart’s AI shopping race with Amazon underscores competitive pressure in retail tech, but it does not point to any near-term operational setback for Walmart. Article Title

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT traded up $1.69 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $113.90. The company's stock had a trading volume of 12,452,368 shares, compared to its average volume of 21,901,888. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $94.23 and a 1-year high of $135.15. The stock has a market cap of $906.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.97, a PEG ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.60. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $120.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $121.96. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 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. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The business had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.61 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share 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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