Walmart Inc. $WMT is James Investment Research Inc.'s 7th Largest Position

James Investment Research Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 7.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 153,209 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 12,164 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises 2.1% of James Investment Research Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position. James Investment Research Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $19,041,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Secured Retirement Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 7.9% in the 1st quarter. Secured Retirement Advisors LLC now owns 19,111 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,375,000 after acquiring an additional 1,406 shares during the last quarter. Vertrix Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 1st quarter worth $6,501,000. Whelan Financial raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 5.0% during the 1st quarter. Whelan Financial now owns 5,754 shares of the retailer's stock worth $715,000 after acquiring an additional 272 shares during the period. Essex LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 117.2% during the 1st quarter. Essex LLC now owns 6,380 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $793,000 after acquiring an additional 3,442 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Walmart in the first quarter valued at approximately $164,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.63, for a total value of $2,303,320.08. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,174,579 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $495,230,306.77. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible 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 company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total transaction of $1,308,670.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 120,203 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,300,550.91. This represents a 8.38% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 104,505 shares of company stock valued at $12,858,514. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is being viewed as a defensive winner in a cautious consumer environment, with commentary pointing to resilient grocery spending, strong omnichannel execution, and growth in advertising and membership revenue as reasons the stock could grind higher. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly constructive on Walmart, and new commentary highlighted strong interest in the company’s Google AI partnership for “agentic shopping,” which could support future digital commerce growth and ecosystem monetization. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity showed bullish positioning, with traders buying far more WMT call options than usual, suggesting some investors are betting on a rebound. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street continues to rate Walmart favorably overall, with several firms reiterating buy-equivalent ratings and an average price target above current levels, though not enough to fully offset recent valuation concerns.
• Negative Sentiment: Investor concern remains over slowing U.S. comparable sales and the company’s reliance on price cuts and tariff refunds to manage inventory, which could pressure margins if the trend continues. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares in a pre-arranged 10b5-1 transaction, a routine filing but still a small negative sentiment item for traders. Article Title

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on WMT shares. Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, March 6th. Truist Financial set a $140.00 price objective on Walmart in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Guggenheim raised 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. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $137.00 price objective (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $138.85.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT stock opened at $111.84 on Friday. 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 company has a fifty day moving average of $122.15 and a 200-day moving average of $122.07. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $94.23 and a one year high of $135.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $890.03 billion, a PE ratio of 39.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.17 and a beta of 0.60.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last released 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. The business had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The company's revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior 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. As a group, analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Walmart 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.

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