Sterling Investment Counsel LLC Decreases Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Sterling Investment Counsel LLC significantly reduced its holdings in Walmart Inc. by 73.4% during the second quarter, now owning 8,832 shares valued at approximately $864,000.
• Several other institutional investors increased their positions in Walmart, with PFS Partners LLC lifting its holdings by 267.8% and Clal Insurance Enterprises holdings grew by 432.4%.
• Walmart recently reported earnings of $0.68 per share for the last quarter, missing expectations, and has set a Q3 2026 EPS guidance of 0.580-0.600.

Sterling Investment Counsel LLC lowered its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 73.4% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,832 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 24,331 shares during the quarter. Sterling Investment Counsel LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $864,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Operose Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 319.7% in the 1st quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the retailer's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. PFS Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 267.8% in the 2nd quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 320 shares of the retailer's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 98.2% in the 1st quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 55.3% in the 2nd quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 323 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,610 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.71, for a total value of $166,973.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 645,968 shares in the company, valued at approximately $66,993,341.28. This represents a 0.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.33, for a total transaction of $222,926.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 621,718 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $62,998,684.94. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 151,232 shares of company stock valued at $15,083,877 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT opened at $102.15 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $814.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.79 and a beta of 0.67. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $78.98 and a fifty-two week high of $106.11. The company's 50-day moving average price is $100.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $96.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $106.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $129.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. Evercore ISI restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $110.00 target price (up previously from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Finally, Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and issued a $115.00 target price (up previously from $112.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Thirty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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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