Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Bought by USS Investment Management Ltd

Key Points

• USS Investment Management Ltd increased its Walmart stake by 1.5% in the first quarter, adding 10,218 shares and bringing its total to 703,562 shares worth about $87.4 million.
• Walmart continues to draw generally positive attention from analysts and investors, with commentary highlighting its defensive appeal, omnichannel strength, advertising and membership growth, and interest in its Google AI partnership for future digital commerce.
• The company posted solid recent results, with quarterly revenue of $177.75 billion and EPS of $0.66 matching expectations, though shares are trading below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages amid some concern over slowing comparable sales and margin pressure.

USS Investment Management Ltd raised its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 1.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 703,562 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 10,218 shares during the period. USS Investment Management Ltd's holdings in Walmart were worth $87,442,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 28.8% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $8,868,000 after acquiring an additional 21,939 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $800,000 after purchasing an additional 485 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.5% in the first quarter. Peterson Wealth Management now owns 50,307 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,416,000 after purchasing an additional 1,715 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 0.9% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 13,008 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,272,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its position in shares of Walmart by 1.2% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 91,341 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $8,931,000 after purchasing an additional 1,048 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Walmart News

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

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT 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 market capitalization of $890.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.24, a PEG ratio of 4.17 and a beta of 0.60. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $122.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $122.07. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $94.23 and a 1 year high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. Walmart's revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.61 earnings per share. 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, sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total value of $413,891.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 630,009 shares of the company's stock, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 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 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 120,203 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,300,550.91. The trade was a 8.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 104,505 shares of company stock valued at $12,858,514. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 18th. UBS Group set a $141.00 target price on Walmart and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price target (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Tigress Financial reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $155.00 price target (up from $150.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $140.00 price objective on Walmart in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. One equities research 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $138.85.

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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