Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. Purchases 99,150 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. increased its stake in Walmart by 41.8%, now holding 336,460 shares after purchasing an additional 99,150 shares in the first quarter.
• Walmart's latest earnings report showed EPS of $0.68, missing expectations of $0.74, with revenue hitting $169.34 billion, below the forecast of $174.02 billion.
• Several analysts have set new price targets for Walmart, with Mizuho issuing a target of $115.00 and KeyCorp raising theirs to $110.00, reflecting a generally positive outlook on the stock.

Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. lifted its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 41.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 336,460 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 99,150 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for about 1.5% of Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $29,609,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Operose Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 319.7% in the 1st quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 98.2% during the first quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd increased its stake in Walmart by 432.4% in the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 362 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares during the period. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Walmart in the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Lipe & Dalton boosted its position in Walmart by 95.2% during the 1st quarter. Lipe & Dalton now owns 410 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT stock opened at $100.86 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.79. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $98.23 and a 200-day moving average price of $95.26. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $76.30 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $804.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.92, a PEG ratio of 4.78 and a beta of 0.65.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.30, for a total value of $216,260.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 626,118 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,547,399.40. This represents a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.14, for a total transaction of $380,560.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 1,056,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $100,511,128.70. The trade was a 0.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 121,382 shares of company stock worth $11,718,441. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on WMT. Mizuho reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $117.00 target price on Walmart and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Tigress Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $110.76.

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.

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