Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Increases Stock Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group increased its Walmart stake by 3.1% in the first quarter, buying 330,076 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 11,026,684 shares worth about $1.37 billion.
• Walmart is drawing positive attention for wellness benefits at Sam’s Club and broad price cuts on groceries and household staples, which may support member loyalty and store traffic.
• Analyst sentiment remains constructive, with several firms raising price targets and Walmart holding a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” with an average target price of $138.85.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 3.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,026,684 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 330,076 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up approximately 0.9% of Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned 0.14% of Walmart worth $1,370,396,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WMT. MFA Wealth Services raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.7% in the first quarter. MFA Wealth Services now owns 10,909 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,356,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Realta Investment Advisors boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.0% during the first quarter. Realta Investment Advisors now owns 4,089 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $508,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Compton Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 4.1% during the first quarter. Compton Financial Group LLC now owns 2,081 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $259,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Group LLC increased its position in Walmart by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Renaissance Group LLC now owns 9,636 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,074,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Calton & Associates Inc. increased its position in Walmart by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Calton & Associates Inc. now owns 27,220 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,033,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is rolling out more wellness benefits at Sam’s Club, including Weight Watchers perks, which could deepen member loyalty, support renewals, and boost recurring membership revenue. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is also getting attention for broad price cuts across groceries and household staples, which should help reinforce its reputation as a defensive, inflation-fighting retailer and drive traffic to stores and clubs. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer said Walmart is one of the “greatest companies on earth” and called the recent pullback an “incredible buying opportunity,” helping support sentiment around the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary around Walmart’s health event and its AI shopping efforts highlights longer-term strategic investments, but these items are more thematic than immediate catalysts for the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage comparing Walmart’s AI shopping race with Amazon underscores competitive pressure in retail tech, but it does not point to any near-term operational setback for Walmart. Article Title

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $137.00 price target (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Tigress Financial reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $155.00 price objective (up from $150.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Truist Financial set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Wolfe Research restated an "outperform" rating and set a $137.00 target price (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $138.85.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.84, for a total value of $1,638,525.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 674,162 shares in the company, valued at approximately $84,162,384.08. This trade represents a 1.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total value of $1,308,670.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 120,203 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,300,550.91. This trade represents a 8.38% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 104,505 shares of company stock worth $12,858,514. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Walmart Trading Up 1.5%

Walmart stock traded up $1.69 during trading on Friday, reaching $113.90. The company had a trading volume of 12,452,368 shares, compared to its average volume of 21,901,888. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $94.23 and a 12-month high of $135.15. 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's 50 day moving average price is $120.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $121.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $906.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.97, a PEG ratio of 4.18 and a beta of 0.60.

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

About Walmart

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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