Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Grows Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Oppenheimer & Co. increased its Walmart position by 4.9% in the second quarter, adding 22,912 shares to own 486,171 shares valued at approximately $55.1 million. Institutional investors collectively own 26.76% of Walmart.
• Walmart’s e-commerce business remains a key growth driver, while potential tariff refunds could support lower prices and market-share gains. However, analysts cite high fuel costs, rising expenses, valuation concerns and competition from Amazon as risks.
• Walmart shares opened at $115.27, down 0.4%, and analysts maintain a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with an average price target of $138.56. The company is scheduled to report second-quarter results before the market opens on August 20.

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 486,171 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 22,912 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $55,064,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 57.4% during the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Sankala Group LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Turim 21 Investimentos Ltda. purchased a new stake in Walmart in the first quarter worth about $37,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s e-commerce business continues to be viewed as a significant growth engine, with its digital capabilities increasingly resembling a broader commerce platform rather than a traditional big-box retailer. Walmart’s E-Commerce Engine Roars
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies said potential tariff refunds could support Walmart’s price-leadership strategy. Reinvesting the money in lower prices could widen its price gap with competitors and help drive market-share gains, particularly in consumables. Walmart set for in-line Q2
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “Outperform” rating, providing some support for the long-term investment case despite near-term sales concerns. RBC Reaffirms Outperform Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is expected to deliver largely in-line second-quarter results. The key catalysts are management’s second-half outlook, tariff-refund treatment and the potential effect on pricing and margins. Walmart Q2 earnings preview
• Neutral Sentiment: The company will release results before the market opens on August 20 and host a conference call with CEO John Furner and CFO John David Rainey. Walmart to Host Second Quarter Earnings Conference Call
• Negative Sentiment: Deutsche Bank expects Walmart to miss second-quarter comparable-sales estimates, while high gasoline prices are pressuring household budgets and raising the retailer’s operating costs. Walmart Seen Missing Comparable Sales Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts have cited elevated fuel costs, rising expenses and valuation concerns as reasons for Walmart’s recent weakness, despite solid revenue growth and e-commerce momentum. Walmart Stock Slides About 12% in 3 Months
• Negative Sentiment: Amazon’s AI-powered Alexa shopping tools could intensify competition for grocery-list creation and digital shopping relationships, areas strategically important to Walmart’s e-commerce growth. Amazon’s Alexa Shopping Strategy

Walmart Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $115.27 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $917.33 billion, a PE ratio of 40.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.32 and a beta of 0.61. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $95.42 and a 52-week high of $135.15. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $114.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $121.52.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Truist Financial set a $140.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Wolfe Research restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $137.00 price target (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Erste Group Bank downgraded Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Mizuho set a $130.00 price objective on Walmart in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $145.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $138.56.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the company's 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 transaction, the director directly owned 4,174,579 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $495,230,306.77. This represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.08, for a total value of $1,628,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 661,037 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $82,021,470.96. The trade was a 1.95% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 70,189 shares of company stock worth $8,377,320 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

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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