Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Sold by Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management

Key Points

• Gerber Kawasaki cut its Walmart stake by 39.2% in the third quarter, selling 16,148 shares and retaining 25,065 shares valued at approximately $2.6 million.
• Other major institutions continued to hold or increase positions, with institutional investors and hedge funds owning 26.76% of Walmart. Walmart insiders also sold roughly $10.7 million worth of shares over the past 90 days.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with an overall “Buy” rating and an average price target of $132.41; the company also exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, reporting $0.81 in EPS and $187.94 billion in revenue.

Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management reduced its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 39.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 25,065 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 16,148 shares during the quarter. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management's holdings in Walmart were worth $2,605,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WMT. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Walmart by 1.1% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 188,036,646 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $21,297,031,000 after acquiring an additional 2,107,781 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in Walmart during the second quarter worth $7,455,131,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in Walmart by 6.4% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 28,142,040 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,497,493,000 after purchasing an additional 1,681,353 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in Walmart in the second quarter valued at $2,905,655,000. Finally, Amundi lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 44.4% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 20,796,957 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,355,463,000 after purchasing an additional 6,393,326 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.66, for a total transaction of $1,399,912.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 647,912 shares of the company's stock, valued at $69,106,293.92. This represents a 1.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,990 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.41, for a total value of $416,595.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 618,359 shares in the company, valued at approximately $64,562,863.19. This trade represents a 0.64% 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 98,534 shares of company stock valued at $10,692,443. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on WMT. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, October 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Walmart from $137.00 to $125.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 21st. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday. They issued a "strong-buy" rating on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $137.00 price objective (down from $146.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Roth Capital reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $132.41.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $127.69 on Tuesday. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $98.88 and a 12 month high of $135.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.01 trillion, a PE ratio of 46.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.29 and a beta of 0.58. The business's fifty day moving average price is $110.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $118.44.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a net margin of 3.00% and a return on equity of 21.83%. The company had revenue of $187.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $186.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.68 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Potential earnings beat: Walmart’s strong history of exceeding analyst estimates, improving sales trends and favorable earnings-per-share expectations could support the stock ahead of its next quarterly report. Why Walmart Is Poised to Beat Earnings Estimates Again
• Positive Sentiment: E-commerce and AI growth: Walmart’s online sales are reportedly gaining market share faster than Amazon’s, while its expanded Sparky AI shopping assistant could increase holiday conversion rates, order frequency and average spending. Stat That Makes Walmart Hard to Ignore Can Walmart’s Expanded Sparky AI Boost Holiday Shopping and Sales?
• Positive Sentiment: Defensive retail positioning: Walmart and Costco are gaining grocery market share as consumers seek lower prices, a trend that may benefit Walmart if household budgets remain pressured. Grocery Wars Update
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic expansion: Walmart’s home-backup energy partnership with Base Power and planned investments in Texas robotics could broaden its ecosystem and improve operating efficiency over time. Walmart Probes Flipkart Claims
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst attention: TD Cowen has initiated research coverage, while broader investor interest remains elevated. The ultimate effect will depend on the firm’s rating, price target and estimates. Walmart Research Coverage Started at TD Cowen
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation risk: With Walmart trading at roughly 42–43 times earnings, skeptics argue that its defensive reputation and growth outlook are already substantially reflected in the share price, leaving less room for disappointment. Walmart’s Defensive Reputation and Valuation
• Negative Sentiment: Reputation and compliance concerns: Walmart is investigating alleged vendor kickbacks at Flipkart, while separate coverage highlights scrutiny of employee prescription-drug benefits and a Federal Trade Commission-related customer payment. These issues could create legal, regulatory or reputational costs, although their financial impact is not yet clear. Walmart Probes Flipkart Claims Walmart Retirement Drug Benefit Report

Walmart Company Profile

Walmart Inc NASDAQ: WMT operates a global retail business through a network of supercenters, supermarkets, discount stores, neighborhood markets, warehouse clubs and e-commerce platforms. Its stores and websites sell a broad assortment of merchandise, including groceries, consumables, health and wellness products, apparel, electronics, home goods, toys and other general merchandise.

The company organizes its operations into Walmart U.S., Walmart International and Sam's Club U.S. Walmart U.S.

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