Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Purchased by Bellwether Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Bellwether Advisors LLC increased its Walmart stake by 272.5% in the first quarter, buying 10,920 additional shares and bringing its total to 14,927 shares valued at about $1.86 million.
• Several other institutional investors also added to their Walmart positions, and hedge funds and institutions now own 26.76% of the company’s stock.
• Walmart’s analysts remain broadly bullish, with an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $138.85, even as insiders sold shares over the past 90 days.

Bellwether Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 272.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 14,927 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 10,920 shares during the quarter. Bellwether Advisors LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $1,855,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. MFA Wealth Services boosted its holdings in Walmart by 0.7% during the first quarter. MFA Wealth Services now owns 10,909 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,356,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Realta Investment Advisors increased its holdings in Walmart by 2.0% in the first quarter. Realta Investment Advisors now owns 4,089 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $508,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Compton Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 4.1% in the first quarter. Compton Financial Group LLC now owns 2,081 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $259,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Renaissance Group LLC now owns 9,636 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,074,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the period. Finally, Calton & Associates Inc. lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Calton & Associates Inc. now owns 27,220 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,033,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.08, for a total value of $1,628,550.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 661,037 shares of the company's stock, valued at $82,021,470.96. The trade was a 1.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing 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 David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total value of $1,435,203.96. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 125,067 shares in the company, valued at $14,985,527.94. This represents a 8.74% 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. Insiders have sold a total of 87,145 shares of company stock valued at $10,691,920 in the last ninety days. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wolfe Research reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $137.00 price target (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 11th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $150.00 price objective (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $138.85.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is still attracting new brands to its platform, with candy maker Final Boss Sour raising funding and securing shelf space at the retailer. That supports Walmart’s marketplace growth strategy and could help improve traffic and monetization over time. Walmart (WMT) Faces A Fresh Valuation Test As New Brands Join Its Platform
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted a rebound in Walmart’s general merchandise business, including fashion, hardlines, private brands, and marketplace growth, which could lift margins if the trend continues. Can Walmart's General Merchandise Revival Unlock Higher Margins?
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart was mentioned in broader ecommerce-stock watch lists, which is not a direct catalyst but suggests continued investor attention on the retail and online commerce space. Top Ecommerce Stocks To Watch Now - July 18th
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market headlines about renewed U.S.-Iran tensions and potential energy-price pressure may be weighing on consumer sentiment and creating a modest headwind for Walmart’s near-term trading. As the U.S.-Iran war heats up again, these parts of the stock market and economy could be affected
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart pulled certain lettuce items amid cyclosporiasis-linked recalls, which can create short-term reputational and operational concerns for the grocer. Walmart pulls lettuce items amid cyclosporiasis-linked recalls
• Negative Sentiment: The stock also faces valuation pressure, with recent commentary noting that Walmart’s share performance has lagged and that investors are reassessing how much growth is already priced in. Walmart (WMT) Faces A Fresh Valuation Test As New Brands Join Its Platform

Walmart Stock Down 1.6%

WMT stock opened at $110.39 on Wednesday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $118.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $122.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $878.49 billion, a PE ratio of 38.73, a P/E/G ratio of 4.18 and a beta of 0.60. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $95.29 and a 12 month high of $135.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The business had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $174.84 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.61 EPS. The company's 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. Equities analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Company 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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