Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Sold by Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund

Key Points

• Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund cut its Walmart stake by 12.3% in the first quarter, selling 80,963 shares and leaving it with 577,721 shares valued at about $71.8 million.
• Walmart’s latest quarterly results were solid: it matched earnings expectations at $0.66 per share and beat revenue estimates with $177.75 billion in sales, up 7.4% year over year.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $138.85, even as some commentary continues to raise valuation concerns.

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lowered its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 12.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 577,721 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 80,963 shares during the period. Walmart makes up approximately 0.9% of Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund's investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund's holdings in Walmart were worth $71,799,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the first quarter valued at $29,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Walmart by 57.4% during the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 193.0% during the 4th quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock opened at $112.53 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $895.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.48, a P/E/G ratio of 4.24 and a beta of 0.60. The company's fifty day moving average price is $119.44 and its 200 day moving average price is $122.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $94.43 and a 1 year high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted 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. The company had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $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. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.21, for a total value of $2,566,989.36. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,193,995 shares in the company, valued at approximately $554,488,078.95. The trade was a 0.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through 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 business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total value of $1,308,670.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 120,203 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,300,550.91. This trade represents a 8.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 87,145 shares of company stock worth $10,691,920. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on WMT. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $137.00 price objective (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, April 20th. KeyCorp reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, UBS Group set a $141.00 target price on Walmart and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $138.85.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart, General Mills, and ADM announced a collaboration to expand regenerative agriculture across 40,000 Midwest wheat acres, a move that supports the company’s sustainability goals and could strengthen supplier relationships over time. General Mills, ADM, Walmart Partner to Accelerate Regenerative Agriculture Across 40,000 Midwest Wheat Acres
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart highlighted its back-to-school push, emphasizing low prices, convenience, and style, which could support near-term traffic and seasonal sales as families shop for the new school year. Walmart Helps Americans Navigate Their Annual Back-to-School Reset with Unmatched Value, Convenience and Style
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart declared its 53rd dividend increase, reinforcing its reputation as a dependable income stock and signaling management confidence in cash generation. Walmart just declared its 53rd dividend increase
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage comparing Walmart with Johnson & Johnson framed both as defensive names with different strategies, but it did not introduce a clear new catalyst for WMT shares. Walmart vs Johnson & Johnson: Two Defensive Plays, Diverging Strategies and One Winner
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and media pieces again raised valuation concerns, noting Walmart’s high earnings multiple and suggesting the stock may be expensive after a strong multi-year run, which can cap upside even if fundamentals remain solid. Walmart (WMT) Stock Could Be 16% Overvalued Following Dividend Hike
• Negative Sentiment: A Zacks note said Walmart stock sank while the broader market gained, pointing to relative weakness and reinforcing investor concern that the shares may be losing momentum. Walmart (WMT) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: Here's Why
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive commentary from Jefferies favoring Amazon as a cheaper way to gain exposure to AI infrastructure and retail may pressure Walmart by reminding investors of stronger alternatives in retail-related exposure. AMZN Stock Is Cheaper Than WMT And GOOGL
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that some Spark delivery workers are frustrated by a new app feature could indicate operational friction in Walmart’s delivery network, though the financial impact is unclear for now. Walmart delivery workers say a new app feature is sending them running around stores

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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