Welch & Forbes LLC Has $65.01 Million Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Welch & Forbes LLC reduced its Walmart stake by 2.3% in the first quarter, selling 12,131 shares and ending with 523,098 shares valued at about $65.0 million.
• Walmart continues to draw support from analysts, with several firms reiterating bullish ratings and the consensus rating sitting at Moderate Buy with a price target of $138.85.
• The company posted solid quarterly results, including 7.4% revenue growth to $177.75 billion and EPS that matched expectations, while recent headlines highlight wellness perks at Sam’s Club and broad price cuts aimed at boosting traffic and loyalty.

Welch & Forbes LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 2.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 523,098 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 12,131 shares during the quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $65,011,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 57.4% in the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the period. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 193.0% during the 4th quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is rolling out more wellness benefits at Sam’s Club, including Weight Watchers perks, which could deepen member loyalty, support renewals, and boost recurring membership revenue. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is also getting attention for broad price cuts across groceries and household staples, which should help reinforce its reputation as a defensive, inflation-fighting retailer and drive traffic to stores and clubs. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer said Walmart is one of the “greatest companies on earth” and called the recent pullback an “incredible buying opportunity,” helping support sentiment around the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary around Walmart’s health event and its AI shopping efforts highlights longer-term strategic investments, but these items are more thematic than immediate catalysts for the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage comparing Walmart’s AI shopping race with Amazon underscores competitive pressure in retail tech, but it does not point to any near-term operational setback for Walmart. Article Title

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Freedom Capital upgraded Walmart from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating and issued a $150.00 target price (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $138.85.

Walmart Price Performance

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $113.90 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $906.43 billion, a PE ratio of 39.97, a P/E/G ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.60. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $94.23 and a 1-year high of $135.15. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $120.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $122.03. 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 (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.61 earnings per share. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total value of $1,308,670.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 120,203 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,300,550.91. The trade was a 8.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total transaction of $413,891.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 630,009 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $69,074,186.76. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 104,505 shares of company stock worth $12,858,514. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walmart Company 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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