Walmart Inc. $WMT Position Boosted by Phillips Wealth Planners LLC

Key Points

• Phillips Wealth Planners LLC boosted its Walmart stake by 187.8% in the fourth quarter, bringing holdings to 21,192 shares worth about $2.53 million and making WMT its fourth-largest position.
• Walmart continues to draw strong institutional interest, with major investors like Vanguard, Geode, AQR, and Norges Bank adding to or initiating positions; institutions now own 26.76% of the company.
• Operational updates remain positive, including 1 million+ drone deliveries and expansion of 30-minute delivery to 33 U.S. markets, reinforcing Walmart’s e-commerce and last-mile fulfillment push.

Phillips Wealth Planners LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 187.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 21,192 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 13,828 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for approximately 2.0% of Phillips Wealth Planners LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Phillips Wealth Planners LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $2,530,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WMT. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $6,458,529,000. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 188.1% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,199,907,000 after buying an additional 7,614,172 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $11,426,753,000 after buying an additional 6,517,394 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $49,015,626,000 after buying an additional 4,304,436 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 20.5% during the third quarter. Amundi now owns 23,497,921 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,413,236,000 after buying an additional 4,004,277 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart-backed OnePay is looking beyond the retailer’s ecosystem to grow its financial app, which could expand the company’s digital and fintech reach if it attracts more outside users. Walmart-Backed OnePay Looks Beyond Retailer's Ecosystem to Fuel Expansion
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart said its drones have completed more than 1 million deliveries, highlighting continued progress in faster last-mile fulfillment and its push to improve convenience for customers. Walmart Marks Millionth Drone Drop-Off Amid Increased Delivery Focus
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart expanded 30-minute delivery to 33 U.S. markets, reinforcing its e-commerce and grocery delivery advantage versus rivals. Walmart's 30-Minute Delivery Expansion Strengthens Its Retail Edge
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart announced an expanded community initiative in Florida to support first responders and children in crisis, which is positive for brand image but likely limited in direct stock impact. Walmart Helps First Responders Comfort Children in Crisis Across Florida
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage comparing Target and Walmart suggests Walmart remains strong on scale, ads, and higher-income customer gains, but the piece is more of an industry comparison than a new company-specific catalyst. Target vs Walmart: Both Fighting For The Same Customer, Only One Wins
• Negative Sentiment: Recent commentary focused on whether Walmart’s share-price pullback means much of the upside is already priced in, reflecting investor caution after the stock’s recent decline. Is It Time To Reassess Walmart (WMT) After The Recent Share Price Pullback
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that Walmart limited employee use of an AI tool may raise concerns about internal policy or operational friction, though the direct financial impact appears modest. Update: Market Chatter: Walmart Limits Staff's Usage of AI Tool After High Demand

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Argus raised shares of Walmart to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $150.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. HSBC lowered shares of Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $122.00 to $131.00 in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price target on shares of Walmart from $147.00 to $146.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $138.85.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 120,203 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,300,550.91. This represents a 8.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.92, for a total transaction of $359,368.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 577,853 shares of the company's stock, valued at $71,607,543.76. The trade was a 0.50% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 117,008 shares of company stock valued at $14,492,704. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock opened at $113.06 on Wednesday. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $93.43 and a 52-week high of $135.15. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $125.98 and a 200-day moving average of $120.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $899.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.67, a PEG ratio of 4.28 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate 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 in the prior year, the business earned $0.61 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 predict 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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