Whittier Trust Co. Raises Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Whittier Trust Co. increased its Walmart stake by 34.8% in the first quarter, adding 159,154 shares to bring its total to 616,278 shares worth about $78.1 million.
• Walmart reported strong quarterly results, with revenue of $177.75 billion and EPS of $0.66, both in line with or above expectations, while revenue rose 7.4% year over year.
• Analysts remain broadly constructive on the stock, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a target price of $138.85, even as insiders have sold shares in recent months.

Whittier Trust Co. increased its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 34.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 616,278 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 159,154 shares during the period. Walmart comprises approximately 0.9% of Whittier Trust Co.'s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Whittier Trust Co.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $78,138,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is cutting prices on thousands of items, which could attract more shoppers and support sales volume. Walmart Looks to Win Over Inflation-Weary Americans With Thousands of Price Cuts
• Positive Sentiment: The retailer’s lower prices on summer barbecue staples and other essentials are getting high-profile attention, including praise from the White House, which may boost consumer sentiment and brand loyalty. Walmart Lowers Prices on Thousands of Items, Including Beef and Coca-Cola
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are also weighing Walmart’s valuation and recent stock pullback after the shares cooled from their 52-week high, but the company’s underlying business remains solid. Jim Cramer's unexpected 1-word reaction to Walmart stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Some commentary suggests the stock’s recent decline reflects broader concerns about rich multiples rather than a change in Walmart’s operations. Walmart (WMT) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: Here's Why
• Negative Sentiment: One article argues that grocery price cuts may not be enough to satisfy investors or shoppers if broader margin pressure and competitive “grocery wars” intensify. It's Grocery Wars. Walmart Cuts Food Prices, but Shoppers Are Fed Up.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total transaction of $1,308,670.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 120,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,300,550.91. This represents a 8.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.84, for a total transaction of $1,638,525.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 674,162 shares of the company's stock, valued at $84,162,384.08. The trade was a 1.91% 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 sold a total of 104,505 shares of company stock worth $12,858,514 over the last ninety days. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Walmart Stock Up 0.8%

Walmart stock opened at $111.56 on Wednesday. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $94.23 and a 1-year high of $135.15. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $121.36 and a 200-day moving average price of $122.05. 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 capitalization of $887.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.14, a PEG ratio of 4.12 and a beta of 0.60.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last released 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 company had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The firm's revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business 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. Equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on WMT. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, April 20th. KeyCorp reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 8th. BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, UBS Group set a $141.00 target price on Walmart and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note 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 given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $138.85.

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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