Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Acquired by Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd

Key Points

• Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its stake in Walmart by 5.6%, now owning 835,331 shares valued at approximately $81.68 million.
• Walmart's latest earnings report showed a missed EPS estimate of $0.68 compared to a consensus of $0.74, with revenues of $169.34 billion below expectations.
• Several analysts revised their price targets for Walmart, with Goldman Sachs increasing its target from $101 to $114 and maintaining a "buy" rating.

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 5.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 835,331 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 44,562 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd's holdings in Walmart were worth $81,679,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Operose Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 319.7% in the 1st quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 98.2% during the 1st quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd increased its position in shares of Walmart by 432.4% during the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 362 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares during the last quarter. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Lipe & Dalton grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 95.2% in the first quarter. Lipe & Dalton now owns 410 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Up 0.6%

WMT stock opened at $104.07 on Thursday. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $77.49 and a one year high of $106.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $829.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.12, a PEG ratio of 4.97 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $99.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $95.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.79.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 21st. The retailer reported $0.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $169.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $174.02 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.08% and a return on equity of 21.45%. Walmart's revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.67 earnings per share. 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, sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $101.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $106.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $111.00 to $109.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Evercore ISI reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $110.00 target price (up previously from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, August 18th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $117.00 price target on shares of Walmart and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $111.45.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.85, for a total value of $1,258,031.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 945,434 shares in the company, valued at $90,619,848.90. This represents a 1.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.58, for a total value of $1,855,781.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 4,412,398 shares of the company's stock, valued at $421,737,000.84. This represents a 0.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 151,232 shares of company stock valued at $14,822,719. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walmart Profile

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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