Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Acquired by Empowered Funds LLC

Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 14.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 410,005 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 53,126 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $50,955,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WMT. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $6,458,529,000. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 188.1% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,199,907,000 after buying an additional 7,614,172 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Walmart by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $11,426,753,000 after acquiring an additional 6,517,394 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $592,848,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position 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 valued at $49,015,626,000 after acquiring an additional 4,304,436 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 8th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, June 5th. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their price target on Walmart from $147.00 to $146.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.65.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Market momentum and investor interest: Walmart outperformed the broader market during the latest session, providing a near-term boost to the stock. Walmart Beats Stock Market Upswing: What Investors Need to Know
• Positive Sentiment: Higher-income customer gains: Walmart is attracting more affluent shoppers through low prices, faster delivery and a broader product assortment. Sustaining this customer mix could support sales growth and improve the company’s competitive position. Can Walmart Sustain Gains Among Higher-Income Customers?
• Positive Sentiment: AI and efficiency potential: Walmart is using artificial intelligence behind the scenes to improve efficiency and reduce costs rather than selling AI products directly. Recent earnings strength and favorable analyst ratings add support to the investment case. These 3 AI Winners Don’t Sell the Tech—They Use It
• Positive Sentiment: Scale and supply-chain initiatives: Walmart, General Mills and ADM launched a regenerative agriculture program covering 40,000 Midwest wheat acres. While not an immediate earnings driver, the effort could strengthen Walmart’s supply-chain relationships and support its sustainability reputation. Walmart Launches Regenerative Agriculture Effort
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent fundamentals: Walmart’s latest quarterly revenue exceeded expectations, while earnings per share met consensus estimates. Revenue growth and the company’s scale remain supportive, although the stock’s elevated valuation makes continued execution important.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation risk: Commentary warns that Walmart trades at a premium relative to projected forward earnings. Its scale provides a durable cost advantage, but the rich valuation leaves less room for disappointing growth or margins. Walmart Is at $108: Why Investors Should Pause

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $111.74 on Tuesday. 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 $889.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.21, a PEG ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.60. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $116.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $122.02. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $95.42 and a 12 month high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.84 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.61 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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. Equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.19, for a total value of $342,751.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 574,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $67,953,695.07. This represents a 0.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 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 directly owned 4,174,579 shares in the company, valued at approximately $495,230,306.77. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 67,729 shares of company stock worth $8,124,931 over the last quarter. 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.