Swedbank AB Lowers Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Swedbank AB trimmed its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 2.4% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,688,892 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 67,151 shares during the period. Swedbank AB’s holdings in Walmart were worth $334,175,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Walmart Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $113.10 on Thursday. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $94.23 and a one year high of $135.15. 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 firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $121.07 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $122.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $900.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.68, a PEG ratio of 4.16 and a beta of 0.60.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.66. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The business’s revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm 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. As a group, analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s aggressive price cuts are being viewed as a strategy to win inflation-weary shoppers and strengthen its grocery leadership, which analysts and commentators say could support sales volume and customer loyalty. Walmart stock gains after price cuts as analysts back grocery strategy
• Positive Sentiment: Several pieces framed Walmart as a blue-chip retail winner in volatile markets, with its scale, dividend, and resilient business model making it a preferred defensive name for investors. 3 Blue-Chip Retail Stocks to Trust as Volatility Favors Quality
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary from Jim Cramer and others characterized the recent pullback in WMT as a buying opportunity, suggesting investors may be looking past near-term volatility and focusing on Walmart’s durable earnings profile. Jim Cramer calls Walmart selloff an ‘incredible buying opportunity,’ says fears ‘have gone out the window’
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is also being compared favorably with Target and other retailers on revenue consistency and scale, reinforcing its quality profile but without a clear new catalyst. Walmart and Target: Comparing Revenue Consistency and Scale
• Neutral Sentiment: Trump’s public praise for Walmart’s price cuts has added visibility to the stock, but the move is still fundamentally about pricing strategy rather than a direct financial update. President Trump says Walmart will lower prices by ‘a lot’ — but the retail beast has already been slashing prices
• Negative Sentiment: Some articles warned that deeper discounting could pressure margins, and Walmart also faces ongoing legal headlines, including a $13 million driver-pay settlement and a new AI-related lawsuit. Walmart (WMT) Pays $13 Million To Settle Driver Pay Case As New AI Suit Lands

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on WMT. BNP Paribas Exane cut their price target on shares of Walmart from $147.00 to $146.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.85.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total value of $413,891.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 630,009 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $69,074,186.76. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at 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 business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 125,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,985,527.94. This represents a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 104,505 shares of company stock worth $12,858,514 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

About Walmart

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.