Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Sold by Simplify Asset Management Inc.

Simplify Asset Management Inc. cut its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 62.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,356 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 10,534 shares during the period. Simplify Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $661,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WMT. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in Walmart by 13.7% during the third quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,689 shares of the retailer's stock worth $279,000 after acquiring an additional 323 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 116,375 shares of the retailer's stock worth $12,094,000 after purchasing an additional 1,169 shares in the last quarter. Prism Planning Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth about $202,000. BLB&B Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 8.8% during the 3rd quarter. BLB&B Advisors LLC now owns 8,599 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $894,000 after purchasing an additional 699 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Conning Inc. boosted its position in Walmart by 11.4% in the third quarter. Conning Inc. now owns 67,417 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $7,006,000 after buying an additional 6,923 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart lowered the cost of its Thanksgiving meal basket by $5, reinforcing its value proposition as consumers remain sensitive to food prices. Affordable holiday offerings could support traffic and market-share gains. Walmart Thanksgiving menu comparison
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart said AI training has increased technology confidence among its more than 2.1 million associates. Broader employee adoption could improve productivity and customer service over time. Walmart AI training for workers
• Positive Sentiment: The retailer is expanding its digital ecosystem by opening its store to AI shopping agents and adding controls for those transactions. Walmart is also partnering with Care Access to add three clinical-trial centers, supporting longer-term growth in digital commerce and healthcare services. Walmart AI shopping agents
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary continues to compare Walmart with Tesco and MercadoLibre, highlighting Walmart’s scale and expanding digital operations but also its elevated valuation and profitability considerations. WMT versus MercadoLibre
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart’s potential to benefit from advertising, e-commerce, automation and healthcare remains part of the investment case, although execution and valuation are key factors for investors.
• Negative Sentiment: The Federal Trade Commission demanded data from Walmart and other companies about personalized pricing. The inquiry could increase compliance costs or create reputational and regulatory risks if regulators find consumers are treated unfairly, though no wrongdoing was alleged. FTC personalized pricing inquiry
• Negative Sentiment: Exchange-traded funds were reported as net sellers of Walmart shares, creating a modest technical headwind and signaling some portfolio rebalancing pressure.
• Negative Sentiment: A lawsuit alleges Walmart inflated the weight of shrimp packages with ice. Although the financial impact is unclear, the claim adds potential legal costs and negative publicity. Walmart shrimp lawsuit

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $126.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Walmart from $137.00 to $125.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-three have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $132.41.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.35, for a total transaction of $5,335,345.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 201,672 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,246,145.20. This represents a 20.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CEO John Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.60, for a total transaction of $1,582,875.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 634,790 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $76,555,674. This represents a 2.03% decrease in their position. 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 sold 102,244 shares of company stock valued at $11,112,044 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $118.77 on Thursday. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $98.88 and a 12-month high of $135.15. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $109.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $118.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The company has a market cap of $942.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.33 and a beta of 0.58.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $186.64 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.00% and a return on equity of 21.83%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.68 EPS. 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, research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart 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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