Walmart Inc. $WMT Position Boosted by LGT Fund Management Co Ltd.

Key Points

• LGT Fund Management boosted its Walmart stake by 200.1% in the first quarter, ending with 114,645 shares worth about $14.25 million.
• Several other institutional investors also increased their Walmart holdings, and 26.76% of the stock is now owned by institutions, signaling continued professional interest in the retailer.
• Analysts remain generally positive on Walmart, with an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.85; the company also recently reported quarterly revenue above estimates and reaffirmed its growth outlook.

LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. lifted its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 200.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 114,645 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 76,442 shares during the period. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $14,248,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in WMT. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 253.3% during the first quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA now owns 384,034 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $47,728,000 after purchasing an additional 275,337 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 2,416,580 shares of the retailer's stock worth $300,333,000 after purchasing an additional 68,632 shares in the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. raised its holdings in Walmart by 42.1% during the 4th quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 275,341 shares of the retailer's stock worth $30,676,000 after buying an additional 81,635 shares during the period. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $40,855,000. Finally, Winning Points Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,761,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on WMT. KeyCorp reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $145.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Finally, Tigress Financial reissued a "buy" rating and set a $155.00 target price (up from $150.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $138.85.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

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

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock opened at $113.90 on Monday. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $94.23 and a twelve 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 firm has a market cap of $906.43 billion, a PE ratio of 39.97, a P/E/G ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.60. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $120.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $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. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The company had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.61 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter 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. On average, research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total value of $413,891.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 630,009 shares in the company, valued at $69,074,186.76. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.19, for a total value of $342,751.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 104,505 shares of company stock valued at $12,858,514. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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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