Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Acquired by Commonwealth Financial Services LLC

Key Points

• Commonwealth Financial Services LLC nearly doubled its Walmart position in Q1, increasing its stake by 96.5% to 26,386 shares worth about $3.28 million.
• Several other major institutional investors also adjusted their holdings, while overall institutional ownership stands at 26.76% of Walmart’s stock.
• Wall Street remains broadly positive: analysts have a Moderate Buy consensus on WMT, with a price target of $138.85, even as some commentary warns that the stock’s premium valuation could limit upside.

Commonwealth Financial Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 96.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 26,386 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 12,956 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Financial Services LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $3,279,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $6,458,529,000. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 188.1% in 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 purchasing an additional 7,614,172 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 6.8% in the fourth 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 position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $592,848,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings 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 worth $49,015,626,000 after purchasing an additional 4,304,436 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: June U.S. retail sales held up, suggesting consumers are still spending as Walmart heads into the back-to-school season; that could support traffic and sales volumes if the company remains aggressive on pricing. Retail Sales Hold Up as Walmart and Amazon Go Back to School
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is also being discussed in multiple market and analyst roundups, with commentary focusing on its strong digital growth and role as a defensive stock, but these pieces do not appear to include a major new business update. Walmart Commands a 36.74X Forward P/E: Is the Stock Worth Buying?
• Neutral Sentiment: An article about AI and retail highlighted that Walmart is investing in automation while still emphasizing workers, which reinforces its long-term strategy but is unlikely to move the stock on its own. Walmart's people chief says these 10 jobs are still hot in the age of AI
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts argue Walmart’s premium valuation leaves limited room for disappointment, with one note saying momentum alone may not justify the stock’s high forward P/E. Walmart's Momentum Cannot Justify The Premium
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart has also been the subject of bearish commentary saying the recent sell-off may not be over, adding to investor caution around the shares. Walmart: The Sell-Off Isn't Over Yet (Rating Upgrade)

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on WMT. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 8th. UBS Group set a $141.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. KeyCorp reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, June 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $138.85.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total transaction of $413,891.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 630,009 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $69,074,186.76. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at 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 firm's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 120,203 shares in the company, 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 ninety days, insiders have sold 87,145 shares of company stock worth $10,691,920. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock opened at $114.24 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $909.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.26 and a beta of 0.60. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $94.43 and a 52 week high of $135.15. The business's 50-day moving average price is $118.82 and its 200 day moving average price is $122.11. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.66. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The company had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $174.84 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.61 earnings per share. Walmart's quarterly revenue 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. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share 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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