Walmart Inc. $WMT Stock Holdings Lowered by Plato Investment Management Ltd

Key Points

• Plato Investment Management Ltd reduced its stake in Walmart by 2.5%, selling 2,455 shares, bringing its ownership to 97,178 shares valued at approximately $8.6 million.
• Walmart's recent earnings report revealed earnings per share of $0.68, missing the expected $0.74, with revenue of $169.34 billion, below the anticipated $174.02 billion.
• Several analysts raised their target prices for Walmart stock, with Telsey Advisory Group increasing its target from $115 to $118 and maintaining an "outperform" rating.

Plato Investment Management Ltd decreased its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 2.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 97,178 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 2,455 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up approximately 0.7% of Plato Investment Management Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Plato Investment Management Ltd's holdings in Walmart were worth $8,624,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Night Squared LP purchased a new stake in Walmart in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,052,000. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management grew its holdings in Walmart by 34.6% in the first quarter. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management now owns 38,213 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $3,355,000 after purchasing an additional 9,831 shares during the period. Monument Capital Management grew its holdings in Walmart by 94.2% in the first quarter. Monument Capital Management now owns 55,004 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,829,000 after purchasing an additional 26,685 shares during the period. Ally Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart in the first quarter valued at approximately $2,107,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 11.8% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 7,959,752 shares of the retailer's stock worth $698,787,000 after purchasing an additional 838,689 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on WMT. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. DA Davidson reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $117.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Tigress Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $106.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. One 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $110.76.

Walmart Stock Up 2.2%

WMT traded up $2.23 during trading on Thursday, hitting $102.64. The company had a trading volume of 15,893,966 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,623,236. The company has a market cap of $818.33 billion, a PE ratio of 38.59, a P/E/G ratio of 4.82 and a beta of 0.65. The business has a 50-day moving average of $98.61 and a 200-day moving average of $95.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.23. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $77.49 and a 1-year high of $105.30.

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

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.37, for a total value of $214,214.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 623,918 shares of the company's stock, valued at $60,750,895.66. This trade represents a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.97, for a total value of $1,863,353.52. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,392,985 shares in the company, valued at $421,594,770.45. This represents a 0.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 121,382 shares of company stock valued at $11,718,441 over the last quarter. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walmart Company 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.