Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Acquired by Lighthouse Wealth Management Inc.

Lighthouse Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 189.8% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 7,337 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,805 shares during the period. Walmart makes up about 0.6% of Lighthouse Wealth Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Lighthouse Wealth Management Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $912,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. MFA Wealth Services increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.7% in the first quarter. MFA Wealth Services now owns 10,909 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,356,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Realta Investment Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.0% during the first quarter. Realta Investment Advisors now owns 4,089 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $508,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Renaissance Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Renaissance Group LLC now owns 9,636 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,074,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Calton & Associates Inc. grew its position in Walmart by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Calton & Associates Inc. now owns 27,220 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,033,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advocacy Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Advocacy Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,392 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $378,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Up 2.8%

WMT stock opened at $111.84 on Friday. 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 company’s 50 day simple moving average is $122.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $122.14. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $94.23 and a 12 month high of $135.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $890.03 billion, a PE ratio of 39.24, a P/E/G ratio of 4.06 and a beta of 0.60.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.66. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.61 EPS. 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 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 subject of a number of analyst reports. Truist Financial set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Tigress Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $155.00 price objective (up from $150.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 target price (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.85.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity showed strong bullish interest, with traders buying 172,007 WMT call options, well above the normal daily level, suggesting some investors are positioning for a rebound.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentators highlighted Walmart Connect as a growing margin driver, supported by ad growth, marketplace expansion, seller spending, and e-commerce gains.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s push into agentic shopping with Google’s Gemini and broader AI-enabled commerce is being viewed as a potential long-term catalyst for sales and ecosystem growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart and Flipkart are preparing to expand quick-commerce capabilities in India, which could strengthen Walmart’s international digital growth story. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart was mentioned in coverage of Medicare obesity-drug coverage, where the company is helping seniors navigate benefits; this is supportive of its health-services positioning but is not a major near-term earnings driver. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Research notes and trading commentary said U.S. comparable sales may be slowing, with investors worried Walmart has leaned on price cuts and tariff refunds to manage inventory, potentially pressuring margins. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Shares also came under pressure after reports highlighted slowing domestic sales growth and a near eight-month low, reinforcing concerns about near-term fundamental momentum. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares in a pre-arranged 10b5-1 transaction, which is typically routine but can still add a small amount of selling pressure sentiment-wise.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other 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 value of $1,308,670.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.63, for a total value of $2,303,320.08. Following the sale, the director owned 4,174,579 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $495,230,306.77. This represents a 0.46% 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 104,505 shares of company stock valued at $12,858,514. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

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.