West Family Investments Inc. Purchases Shares of 13,700 Walmart Inc. $WMT

West Family Investments Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 13,700 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,552,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 57.4% in the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Sankala Group LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Turim 21 Investimentos Ltda. purchased a new position in Walmart during the first quarter valued at $37,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $103.70 on Monday. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $95.42 and a fifty-two week high of $135.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. The company has a market capitalization of $825.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.44, a P/E/G ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a fifty day moving average of $113.35 and a 200 day moving average of $121.24.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 analysts' expectations of $186.64 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.68 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart reported adjusted earnings of $0.81 per share and revenue of $187.94 billion, beating consensus estimates of $0.74 and $186.62 billion, respectively. Revenue increased 5.9% year over year. Walmart earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Growth businesses remain strong: global e-commerce sales rose 23%, advertising revenue increased 38%, and global membership revenue grew 17%. These trends support the long-term investment case despite slower core-store growth. Walmart second-quarter highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart plans to use approximately $2.9 billion in tariff refunds to help lower prices, potentially strengthening its value proposition as consumers become more budget-conscious. The rollout of tap-to-pay, including Apple Pay and Google Pay, may also improve checkout convenience. Walmart tap to pay rollout
• Neutral Sentiment: Several analysts retained bullish ratings—including buy, outperform, and overweight—but lowered price targets after the earnings release. New targets range from $120 to $140, indicating analysts still see meaningful upside but have moderated their expectations.
• Negative Sentiment: U.S. comparable sales grew 2.6%, below expectations near 3.5%, marking Walmart’s weakest domestic comparable-sales growth in more than six years. Analysts cited weakness in health and wellness and questioned the trajectory of the core U.S. business.
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter guidance fell short of consensus: Walmart projected adjusted EPS of $0.62–$0.64 versus $0.68 expected and revenue of $183.1–$184.5 billion versus $188.2 billion expected. The timing of Flipkart’s promotional event is also expected to reduce quarterly sales growth by more than 100 basis points.
• Negative Sentiment: The stock’s elevated valuation increases sensitivity to any slowdown, while higher energy costs and consumer trade-offs are raising broader concerns about the health of U.S. retail spending.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total transaction of $1,308,670.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 120,203 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,300,550.91. This trade represents a 8.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,710 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.10, for a total value of $419,601.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 626,299 shares in the company, valued at approximately $70,834,416.90. This represents a 0.59% 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. Insiders have sold a total of 57,064 shares of company stock valued at $6,697,788 in the last three months. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on WMT. Freedom Capital raised Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Gordon Haskett downgraded Walmart from a "buy" rating to an "accumulate" rating in a research note on Thursday. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday. Tigress Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $155.00 price objective (up from $150.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Guggenheim set a $130.00 target price on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $131.88.

About Walmart

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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