The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Sells 4,310,196 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company reduced its Walmart shareholding by 42.8%, selling 4,310,196 shares and now owning 5,770,168 shares valued at approximately $506.56 million.
• Walmart reported a net earnings miss for the last quarter, with earnings per share at $0.68, missing the estimate of $0.74, and revenue of $169.34 billion, below expectations of $174.02 billion.
• Several institutional investors made adjustments, with Clough Capital Partners increasing their stake by 60.1% during the first quarter, while other firms like Gerber Kawasaki and TD Capital also increased their holdings in Walmart.

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lessened its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 42.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,770,168 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 4,310,196 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned 0.07% of Walmart worth $506,563,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Clough Capital Partners L P boosted its position in Walmart by 60.1% during the first quarter. Clough Capital Partners L P now owns 48,600 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,267,000 after buying an additional 18,241 shares during the period. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 26.7% during the first quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 760 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the period. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart during the first quarter valued at about $242,000. TD Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 7.8% during the first quarter. TD Capital Management LLC now owns 20,752 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,822,000 after buying an additional 1,508 shares during the period. Finally, Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management boosted its position in Walmart by 34.6% during the first quarter. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management now owns 38,213 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,355,000 after buying an additional 9,831 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $96.11 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $767.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.62 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $98.11 and a 200 day moving average of $95.45. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $75.67 and a twelve month high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 analysts' expectations of $174.02 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.45% and a net margin of 3.08%.The company's revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business 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, equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Friday, June 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.24, for a total transaction of $380,960.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,060,455 shares in the company, valued at $100,997,734.20. This trade represents a 0.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.30, for a total transaction of $216,260.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 626,118 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,547,399.40. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 101,966 shares of company stock worth $9,858,673. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Walmart from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $110.00 price target (up from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, August 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $110.59.

About Walmart

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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