Optas LLC Cuts Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Optas LLC decreased its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 44.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,058 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 12,667 shares during the period. Optas LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $1,570,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Operose Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 319.7% during the first 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. PFS Partners LLC grew its position in Walmart by 267.8% in the second quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 320 shares of the retailer's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC grew its position in Walmart by 55.3% in the second quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 323 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. grew its position in Walmart by 98.2% in the first quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd grew its position in Walmart by 432.4% in the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 362 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:WMT opened at $101.72 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $79.37 and a 1 year high of $106.11. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $101.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $97.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $811.00 billion, a PE ratio of 38.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.85 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,610 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.71, for a total transaction of $166,973.10. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 645,968 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $66,993,341.28. The trade was a 0.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.83, for a total transaction of $415,320.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 1,048,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at $108,861,082.65. This represents a 0.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 151,232 shares of company stock valued at $15,083,877. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Walmart in a research report on Thursday, September 18th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $129.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $106.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Guggenheim reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $115.00 price target (up previously from $112.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, August 18th. Evercore ISI reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $110.00 price target (up previously from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, August 18th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on Walmart from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Thirty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $112.38.

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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