Westpac Banking Corp Sells 17,046 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Westpac Banking Corp cut its Walmart stake by 29.6% in the first quarter, selling 17,046 shares and leaving it with 40,487 shares worth about $5.0 million.
• Walmart reported Q1 earnings of $0.66 per share, matching analyst expectations, while revenue of $177.75 billion came in above estimates and rose 7.4% year over year.
• Despite the strong results, Walmart shares were down 1.6% on the day, and the stock has drawn mixed signals from analysts, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $138.85.

Westpac Banking Corp decreased its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 29.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 40,487 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 17,046 shares during the period. Westpac Banking Corp's holdings in Walmart were worth $5,032,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WMT. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer's stock worth $49,015,626,000 after purchasing an additional 4,304,436 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Walmart by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $19,046,104,000 after buying an additional 2,242,364 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $11,426,753,000 after buying an additional 6,517,394 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $6,458,529,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,626,852 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,526,238,000 after buying an additional 328,229 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $110.39 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The stock has a market cap of $878.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.73, a PEG ratio of 4.18 and a beta of 0.60. The firm's 50-day moving average is $118.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $122.11. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $95.29 and a 1 year high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.61 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of a number of research reports. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $145.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. UBS Group set a $141.00 price target on shares of Walmart and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Truist Financial set a $140.00 price target on Walmart in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Guggenheim increased their price objective on Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Evercore restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $138.85.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 120,203 shares in the company, valued at $14,300,550.91. This represents a 8.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total value of $413,891.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 630,009 shares in the company, valued at $69,074,186.76. This trade represents a 0.60% 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. Insiders sold a total of 87,145 shares of company stock valued at $10,691,920 over the last quarter. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is still attracting new brands to its platform, with candy maker Final Boss Sour raising funding and securing shelf space at the retailer. That supports Walmart’s marketplace growth strategy and could help improve traffic and monetization over time. Walmart (WMT) Faces A Fresh Valuation Test As New Brands Join Its Platform
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted a rebound in Walmart’s general merchandise business, including fashion, hardlines, private brands, and marketplace growth, which could lift margins if the trend continues. Can Walmart's General Merchandise Revival Unlock Higher Margins?
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart was mentioned in broader ecommerce-stock watch lists, which is not a direct catalyst but suggests continued investor attention on the retail and online commerce space. Top Ecommerce Stocks To Watch Now - July 18th
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market headlines about renewed U.S.-Iran tensions and potential energy-price pressure may be weighing on consumer sentiment and creating a modest headwind for Walmart’s near-term trading. As the U.S.-Iran war heats up again, these parts of the stock market and economy could be affected
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart pulled certain lettuce items amid cyclosporiasis-linked recalls, which can create short-term reputational and operational concerns for the grocer. Walmart pulls lettuce items amid cyclosporiasis-linked recalls
• Negative Sentiment: The stock also faces valuation pressure, with recent commentary noting that Walmart’s share performance has lagged and that investors are reassessing how much growth is already priced in. Walmart (WMT) Faces A Fresh Valuation Test As New Brands Join Its Platform

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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