Walmart Inc. $WMT Stock Position Decreased by Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.

Key Points

• Oppenheimer & Co. reduced its Walmart position by 8.4% in the third quarter, selling 41,036 shares and retaining 445,135 shares valued at approximately $46.3 million.
• Other major institutions increased or initiated holdings, while Walmart insiders sold 102,244 shares worth about $11.1 million over the past three months. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company, compared with 0.09% held by insiders.
• Analysts maintain a broadly positive view, with Walmart rated a consensus “Buy” and an average price target of $132.41, despite several target-price cuts. The company recently exceeded earnings and revenue estimates, but its high valuation—about 43 times earnings—remains a key risk.

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. reduced its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 8.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 445,135 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 41,036 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $46,258,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 2,107,781 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the second quarter worth about $7,455,131,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in shares of 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 worth $3,497,493,000 after purchasing an additional 1,681,353 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 2nd quarter worth about $2,905,655,000. Finally, Amundi lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 44.4% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 20,796,957 shares of the retailer's stock worth $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.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $21,246,145.20. The trade was a 20.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.00, for a total value of $575,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 110,432 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,699,680. The trade was a 4.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 102,244 shares of company stock worth $11,112,044. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on WMT. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on Walmart from $137.00 to $131.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $125.00 price target (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. UBS Group cut their price target on Walmart from $141.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 21st. BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $130.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-three have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $132.41.

Walmart Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of WMT opened at $120.29 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $109.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $118.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $954.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.43, a P/E/G ratio of 4.33 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $98.88 and a 52 week high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 return on equity of 21.83% and a net margin of 3.00%. The business had revenue of $187.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $186.64 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.68 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 earnings per share for the current year.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Holiday event could support near-term sales. Walmart announced three major holiday shopping events, giving investors a potential catalyst for stronger seasonal traffic, e-commerce activity and market-share gains. The upbeat outlook is particularly important because WMT’s valuation already reflects substantial future growth. Walmart Just Announced Its Triple Holiday Event
• Positive Sentiment: AI and e-commerce initiatives could expand digital growth. Walmart is joining Meta’s AI-commerce push and is developing agent-based shopping tools intended to improve product discovery, personalization and customer engagement. Analysts also see continued e-commerce momentum as a driver of longer-term growth. Can Walmart’s AI Strategy Unlock the Next Phase of Digital Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: New services broaden Walmart’s ecosystem. Lower-cost delivery partnerships with Subway, Dunkin’ and Papa John’s, expanded Better Care Services, and an exclusive Affirm buy-now-pay-later arrangement at Sam’s Club could increase customer convenience, engagement and recurring transaction opportunities ahead of the holidays. Walmart Makes Sam’s Club Its Exclusive Buy Now Pay Later Checkout Option
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading data offers limited directional information. A report lists short interest at zero shares and a zero-day days-to-cover ratio, which may indicate a data-quality issue rather than a meaningful change in investor positioning. Walmart also lined up U.S. and Canadian debt issuance, potentially supporting funding needs but increasing leverage.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and investor selling are key risks. WMT’s reported P/E near 42 and PEG ratio above 4 leave limited room for execution disappointments. Michael Burry said he may sell, reduce or donate long-held positions whose valuations appear stretched, potentially adding sentiment pressure. Michael Burry Eyes the Exit on Walmart

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.