Strs Ohio Decreases Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Strs Ohio lowered its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 5.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,231,848 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 66,565 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for about 0.6% of Strs Ohio’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Strs Ohio’s holdings in Walmart were worth $153,094,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WMT. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Walmart during the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 57.4% in the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 193.0% in the 4th quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ WMT opened at $111.84 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $890.03 billion, a PE ratio of 39.24, a PEG ratio of 4.17 and a beta of 0.60. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $94.23 and a 12 month high of $135.15. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $122.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $122.07. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $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 research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.19, for a total transaction 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 $67,953,695.07. The trade was a 0.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 120,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,300,550.91. This represents a 8.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 104,505 shares of company stock valued at $12,858,514 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is being viewed as a defensive winner in a cautious consumer environment, with commentary pointing to resilient grocery spending, strong omnichannel execution, and growth in advertising and membership revenue as reasons the stock could grind higher. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly constructive on Walmart, and new commentary highlighted strong interest in the company’s Google AI partnership for “agentic shopping,” which could support future digital commerce growth and ecosystem monetization. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity showed bullish positioning, with traders buying far more WMT call options than usual, suggesting some investors are betting on a rebound. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street continues to rate Walmart favorably overall, with several firms reiterating buy-equivalent ratings and an average price target above current levels, though not enough to fully offset recent valuation concerns.
• Negative Sentiment: Investor concern remains over slowing U.S. comparable sales and the company’s reliance on price cuts and tariff refunds to manage inventory, which could pressure margins if the trend continues. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares in a pre-arranged 10b5-1 transaction, a routine filing but still a small negative sentiment item for traders. Article Title

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 target price (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 price objective (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.85.

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.