Walmart Inc. $WMT Stock Position Trimmed by Anchor Capital Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Anchor Capital Advisors cut its Walmart position by 79.8% in the second quarter, selling 93,619 shares and retaining 23,764 shares valued at approximately $2.69 million.
• Other institutional investors increased their Walmart holdings, contributing to institutional ownership of 26.76% of the company’s stock.
• Wall Street maintains a generally positive outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $138.50 price target, though analysts note Walmart’s demanding valuation, cooling same-store sales and reliance on higher-margin advertising growth.

Anchor Capital Advisors LLC trimmed its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 79.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 23,764 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 93,619 shares during the period. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $2,691,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Advisortrust Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 20.2% in the first quarter. Advisortrust Partners LLC now owns 67,142 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,344,000 after purchasing an additional 11,283 shares during the period. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA grew its position in Walmart by 253.3% in the 1st quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA now owns 384,034 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $47,728,000 after buying an additional 275,337 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 2,416,580 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $300,333,000 after buying an additional 68,632 shares during the period. Vise Technologies Inc. increased its stake in Walmart by 42.1% during the 4th quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 275,341 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $30,676,000 after buying an additional 81,635 shares during the period. Finally, HORAN Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 55.7% during the 1st quarter. HORAN Wealth LLC now owns 81,544 shares of the retailer's stock worth $9,931,000 after buying an additional 29,184 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s history of earnings surprises, along with favorable estimates and other indicators tracked by Zacks, suggests the company could exceed consensus expectations again. Why Walmart Could Beat Earnings Estimates Again
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are highlighting continued e-commerce momentum, improving profit mix and Walmart Connect’s rapidly growing advertising business. Advertising revenue carries higher margins and may help offset price investments, delivery costs and softer store-sales growth. As Retail Stagnates, Ad Dollars Help Walmart Stay the Course
• Positive Sentiment: DA Davidson reaffirmed its buy rating and assigned a $150 price target, indicating substantial potential appreciation if Walmart delivers on its growth and profitability plans. DA Davidson Walmart Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: The upcoming report is viewed as an important read on the U.S. consumer because Walmart serves both value-focused and higher-income shoppers. Its performance could provide broader insight into household spending trends. What Walmart and Target Earnings Could Tell Us About Consumers
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart’s low-price strategy and thousands of rollbacks may sustain customer traffic, although rising fuel costs are creating pressure for lower-income shoppers. Can Walmart Sustain Growth as Household Budgets Tighten?
• Negative Sentiment: Same-store sales growth has cooled, and investors remain concerned that Walmart’s cautious annual outlook could limit upside. The company is increasingly relying on higher-margin advertising to support profitability as core retail momentum moderates. Walmart Investors Hang Hopes on Retail Media as Sales Cool
• Negative Sentiment: Several previews warn that WMT’s valuation is demanding, while fuel costs, cautious consumers and operating-margin pressure could make it difficult to justify further gains. One report also frames the company’s long dividend-growth streak as potentially vulnerable if earnings and cash flow weaken. Walmart Strong Company but Overvalued Before Earnings

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on WMT. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Walmart from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Freedom Capital raised Walmart from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. DA Davidson restated a "buy" rating and issued a $150.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $145.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $138.50.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total value of $413,891.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 630,009 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $69,074,186.76. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.08, for a total value of $1,628,550.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 661,037 shares of the company's stock, valued at $82,021,470.96. This trade represents a 1.95% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 70,189 shares of company stock valued at $8,377,320 in the last 90 days. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $115.20 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $114.15 and a 200-day moving average of $121.52. The firm has a market cap of $916.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.30 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $95.42 and a twelve month high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The business had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.61 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. Analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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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