Swedbank AB Sells 67,151 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Swedbank AB cut its Walmart stake by 2.4% in the first quarter, selling 67,151 shares and leaving it with 2,688,892 shares valued at about $334.2 million.
• Despite the trim, Walmart continues to attract broad institutional support and analyst optimism, with 26.76% of shares owned by institutions and a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with a target price of $138.85.
• Walmart’s latest earnings beat revenue expectations and showed solid year-over-year growth, but recent news also highlights aggressive price cuts that may support sales while potentially pressuring margins, along with some legal overhangs.

Swedbank AB trimmed its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 2.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,688,892 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 67,151 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB's holdings in Walmart were worth $334,175,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WMT. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $6,458,529,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 188.1% during the 3rd 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 period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer's stock worth $11,426,753,000 after purchasing an additional 6,517,394 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $592,848,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.0% in the 4th 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 period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s aggressive price cuts are being viewed as a strategy to win inflation-weary shoppers and strengthen its grocery leadership, which analysts and commentators say could support sales volume and customer loyalty. Walmart stock gains after price cuts as analysts back grocery strategy
• Positive Sentiment: Several pieces framed Walmart as a blue-chip retail winner in volatile markets, with its scale, dividend, and resilient business model making it a preferred defensive name for investors. 3 Blue-Chip Retail Stocks to Trust as Volatility Favors Quality
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary from Jim Cramer and others characterized the recent pullback in WMT as a buying opportunity, suggesting investors may be looking past near-term volatility and focusing on Walmart’s durable earnings profile. Jim Cramer calls Walmart selloff an 'incredible buying opportunity,' says fears 'have gone out the window'
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is also being compared favorably with Target and other retailers on revenue consistency and scale, reinforcing its quality profile but without a clear new catalyst. Walmart and Target: Comparing Revenue Consistency and Scale
• Neutral Sentiment: Trump’s public praise for Walmart’s price cuts has added visibility to the stock, but the move is still fundamentally about pricing strategy rather than a direct financial update. President Trump says Walmart will lower prices by 'a lot' — but the retail beast has already been slashing prices
• Negative Sentiment: Some articles warned that deeper discounting could pressure margins, and Walmart also faces ongoing legal headlines, including a $13 million driver-pay settlement and a new AI-related lawsuit. Walmart (WMT) Pays $13 Million To Settle Driver Pay Case As New AI Suit Lands

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on WMT shares. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $150.00 target price (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 8th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $145.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, UBS Group set a $141.00 price target on Walmart and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $138.85.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.19, for a total transaction of $342,751.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 574,953 shares in the company, valued at approximately $67,953,695.07. The trade was a 0.50% decrease in their position. The transaction 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 Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $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. Insiders sold a total of 104,505 shares of company stock worth $12,858,514 in the last 90 days. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walmart Stock Up 1.4%

WMT opened at $113.10 on Thursday. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $94.23 and a 12 month high of $135.15. The company has a market cap of $900.06 billion, a PE ratio of 39.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.16 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The company has a 50 day moving average of $121.07 and a 200 day moving average of $122.03.

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