Rokos Capital Management LLP Purchases Shares of 160,581 Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Rokos Capital Management purchased 160,581 Walmart shares during the first quarter, valued at approximately $20 million. Other major institutions, including Vanguard, Geode Capital and Norges Bank, also hold or expanded significant positions.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with Walmart receiving a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $138.65. Thirty-one analysts rate the stock a Buy, compared with four Holds and one Strong Buy.
• Walmart’s latest quarterly revenue rose 7.4% year over year to $177.75 billion and exceeded estimates, while EPS met consensus at $0.66. Shares recently opened at $111.74, but the stock’s elevated valuation and recent insider selling present potential risks.

Rokos Capital Management LLP acquired a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 160,581 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $19,956,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $6,458,529,000. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 188.1% in the third 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 during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 6,517,394 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $592,848,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer's stock worth $49,015,626,000 after purchasing an additional 4,304,436 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $145.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. UBS Group set a $141.00 target price on Walmart and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Mizuho set a $130.00 price target on Walmart in a research report on Monday. Finally, Freedom Capital upgraded Walmart from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $138.65.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $111.74 on Tuesday. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $95.42 and a one year high of $135.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $889.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.21, a PEG ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $116.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $122.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The business's revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.61 earnings per share. 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 predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total value of $413,891.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 630,009 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,074,186.76. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total value of $1,435,203.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 125,067 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,985,527.94. The trade was a 8.74% 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 67,729 shares of company stock worth $8,124,931 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Market momentum and investor interest: Walmart outperformed the broader market during the latest session, providing a near-term boost to the stock. Walmart Beats Stock Market Upswing: What Investors Need to Know
• Positive Sentiment: Higher-income customer gains: Walmart is attracting more affluent shoppers through low prices, faster delivery and a broader product assortment. Sustaining this customer mix could support sales growth and improve the company’s competitive position. Can Walmart Sustain Gains Among Higher-Income Customers?
• Positive Sentiment: AI and efficiency potential: Walmart is using artificial intelligence behind the scenes to improve efficiency and reduce costs rather than selling AI products directly. Recent earnings strength and favorable analyst ratings add support to the investment case. These 3 AI Winners Don’t Sell the Tech—They Use It
• Positive Sentiment: Scale and supply-chain initiatives: Walmart, General Mills and ADM launched a regenerative agriculture program covering 40,000 Midwest wheat acres. While not an immediate earnings driver, the effort could strengthen Walmart’s supply-chain relationships and support its sustainability reputation. Walmart Launches Regenerative Agriculture Effort
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent fundamentals: Walmart’s latest quarterly revenue exceeded expectations, while earnings per share met consensus estimates. Revenue growth and the company’s scale remain supportive, although the stock’s elevated valuation makes continued execution important.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation risk: Commentary warns that Walmart trades at a premium relative to projected forward earnings. Its scale provides a durable cost advantage, but the rich valuation leaves less room for disappointing growth or margins. Walmart Is at $108: Why Investors Should Pause

Walmart Company 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.