Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Raises Stock Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. boosted its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 4.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 486,171 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 22,912 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $55,064,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $49,015,626,000 after buying an additional 4,304,436 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in Walmart by 1.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $19,046,104,000 after acquiring an additional 2,242,364 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased 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 valued at $11,426,753,000 after acquiring an additional 6,517,394 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $6,458,529,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 0.8% in 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 acquiring an additional 328,229 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on WMT shares. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 target price (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $142.00 price target on shares of Walmart and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Oppenheimer cut shares of Walmart from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 price objective (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.56.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $115.27 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $114.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $121.52. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $95.42 and a 52-week high of $135.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $917.33 billion, a PE ratio of 40.45, a P/E/G ratio of 4.32 and a beta of 0.61.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The business had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.61 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. Analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 EPS for the current year.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s e-commerce business continues to be viewed as a significant growth engine, with its digital capabilities increasingly resembling a broader commerce platform rather than a traditional big-box retailer. Walmart’s E-Commerce Engine Roars
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies said potential tariff refunds could support Walmart’s price-leadership strategy. Reinvesting the money in lower prices could widen its price gap with competitors and help drive market-share gains, particularly in consumables. Walmart set for in-line Q2
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “Outperform” rating, providing some support for the long-term investment case despite near-term sales concerns. RBC Reaffirms Outperform Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is expected to deliver largely in-line second-quarter results. The key catalysts are management’s second-half outlook, tariff-refund treatment and the potential effect on pricing and margins. Walmart Q2 earnings preview
• Neutral Sentiment: The company will release results before the market opens on August 20 and host a conference call with CEO John Furner and CFO John David Rainey. Walmart to Host Second Quarter Earnings Conference Call
• Negative Sentiment: Deutsche Bank expects Walmart to miss second-quarter comparable-sales estimates, while high gasoline prices are pressuring household budgets and raising the retailer’s operating costs. Walmart Seen Missing Comparable Sales Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts have cited elevated fuel costs, rising expenses and valuation concerns as reasons for Walmart’s recent weakness, despite solid revenue growth and e-commerce momentum. Walmart Stock Slides About 12% in 3 Months
• Negative Sentiment: Amazon’s AI-powered Alexa shopping tools could intensify competition for grocery-list creation and digital shopping relationships, areas strategically important to Walmart’s e-commerce growth. Amazon’s Alexa Shopping Strategy

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total transaction of $413,891.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 630,009 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,074,186.76. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total transaction of $1,435,203.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 125,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,985,527.94. The trade was a 8.74% 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 a total of 70,189 shares of company stock worth $8,377,320 in the last quarter. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.