Walmart Inc. $WMT Stock: Vise Technologies Inc. Increases Holdings

Key Points

• Vise Technologies increased its Walmart stake by 8.6% in the third quarter, purchasing 37,507 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 472,677 shares valued at approximately $49.1 million.
• Institutional ownership remains significant, with hedge funds and other institutions owning 26.76% of Walmart’s stock. Several major investors, including State Street, Bank of New York Mellon and Amundi, also increased their positions.
• Analysts maintain a broadly positive outlook, with Walmart receiving an average “Buy” rating and a consensus price target of $132.41; the company also recently exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations.

Vise Technologies Inc. raised its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 8.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 472,677 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 37,507 shares during the quarter. Vise Technologies Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $49,121,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Walmart by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 188,036,646 shares of the retailer's stock worth $21,297,031,000 after acquiring an additional 2,107,781 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the second quarter worth $7,455,131,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in 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 valued at $3,497,493,000 after buying an additional 1,681,353 shares in the last quarter. 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 stake in Walmart by 44.4% during the second 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 currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut 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. DA Davidson reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $132.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Guggenheim set a $130.00 price target on Walmart and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Truist Financial set a $114.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $132.41.

Walmart Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $123.51 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $98.88 and a 12-month high of $135.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $979.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.46 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $110.23 and a 200 day simple moving average of $118.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $187.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $186.64 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.83% and a net margin of 3.00%. The business's revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.68 earnings per share. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. Research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Energy investment expands Walmart’s customer offerings: Walmart is making a strategic investment in Base Power and will offer the company’s home battery systems to Walmart customers and Sam’s Club members beginning in November. The systems are designed to reduce energy costs and provide backup power, creating a potential new customer benefit while expanding Walmart’s ecosystem beyond traditional retail. Walmart and Base Power announce strategic agreement
• Positive Sentiment: Major automation agreement with Symbotic: Walmart expanded its commercial relationship with warehouse-automation provider Symbotic in a deal valued at approximately $6 billion. Greater automation could improve fulfillment capacity, labor efficiency and inventory management, although the investment also carries execution and capital-spending risks. Symbotic stock jumps on Walmart automation deal
• Positive Sentiment: Strong fundamentals continue to support the stock: Walmart’s latest quarterly results exceeded consensus estimates for both earnings and revenue, with revenue rising year over year. Analysts and market commentary continue to highlight earnings growth and price strength as reasons to remain constructive on WMT. Earnings growth and price strength make Walmart a stock to watch
• Neutral Sentiment: Healthcare expansion offers a longer-term growth avenue: Walmart has broadened its Better Care Services platform into a healthcare marketplace connecting customers with third-party providers. The initiative could increase customer engagement, but its financial contribution is not yet clear. Walmart launched a healthcare services marketplace
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive and regulatory concerns remain: DoorDash’s proposed $17 billion acquisition of Instacart is intended partly to strengthen competition with Walmart and Amazon in local commerce and grocery delivery. Separately, the FTC is seeking information from Walmart about the use of personal data in personalized pricing, creating potential compliance and reputational risks. FTC orders Walmart and others to share pricing data information
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation comparisons could limit upside: Walmart trades at a substantially higher earnings multiple than Target, while commentary suggests Walmart’s comparable-sales growth may be moderating. That premium leaves the stock more exposed if growth expectations weaken. Target trades at a fraction of Walmart’s valuation

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel Bartlett sold 3,990 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.41, for a total value of $416,595.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 618,359 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $64,562,863.19. The trade was a 0.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Christopher Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.60, for a total value of $349,740.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 563,353 shares in the company, valued at $67,940,371.80. This represents a 0.51% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 102,244 shares of company stock worth $11,112,044. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walmart Company 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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