Walmart Inc. $WMT Position Reduced by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company reduced its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 8.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,132,839 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 366,527 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned about 0.05% of Walmart worth $468,086,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Bell & Brown Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the second quarter worth approximately $6,451,000. Advisortrust Partners LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 20.2% in the 1st quarter. Advisortrust Partners LLC now owns 67,142 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,344,000 after buying an additional 11,283 shares in the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 253.3% during the 1st quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA now owns 384,034 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $47,728,000 after buying an additional 275,337 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 2,416,580 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $300,333,000 after acquiring an additional 68,632 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vise Technologies Inc. increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 42.1% in the fourth quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 275,341 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $30,676,000 after acquiring an additional 81,635 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on WMT. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $130.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $132.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $130.00 price target (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Walmart from $137.00 to $131.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $128.00 target price (down from $137.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $131.88.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.35, for a total value of $5,335,345.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 201,672 shares in the company, valued at $21,246,145.20. The trade was a 20.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,950 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.14, for a total transaction of $415,303.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 622,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $65,433,773.86. The trade was a 0.63% decrease in their position. 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. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 69,264 shares of company stock worth $7,401,242. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts reaffirm bullish views: DA Davidson maintained a “buy” rating with a $132 price target, while BTIG Research reiterated its “buy” rating and set a $140 target. The targets imply substantial upside from recent trading levels and signal confidence in Walmart’s earnings resilience. Analyst rating coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Expanded digital and delivery offerings: Walmart is rolling out tap-to-pay across its U.S. stores, accepting Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, contactless cards and wearable devices. The move could improve checkout convenience and engagement, although it reduces the emphasis on Walmart’s proprietary payments ecosystem. Walmart Expands Tap to Pay as Amazon Builds Its AI Capacity
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is reportedly adding Papa John’s to its restaurant-delivery partner network, broadening its delivery assortment and potentially increasing order frequency through its digital platforms. Walmart Adds Papa John’s to Restaurant Delivery Partner List
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart’s New York Fashion Week appearance generated attention and may support brand visibility, particularly with fashion-conscious consumers, but the near-term financial impact is unclear. Walmart creates a stir at a New York Fashion Week event
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported September short interest was zero shares, unchanged from the prior reported period. This indicates no measurable short-selling pressure, though the data appears anomalous and offers little actionable insight.
• Negative Sentiment: Higher-rate concerns could pressure consumers: Market coverage highlights technical tests for Walmart as rising U.S. interest rates raise questions about household purchasing power and discretionary spending. Walmart’s valuation remains demanding, increasing sensitivity to any slowdown in growth. WMT, COST and AMZN Forecast: Higher Rates Test Consumers

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $105.73 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $838.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.04 and a beta of 0.59. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $110.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $118.96. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $98.88 and a twelve month high of $135.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $187.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $186.64 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.83% and a net margin of 3.00%.The company’s revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.68 EPS. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc is a multinational retail and technology company that operates supercenters, discount stores, neighborhood markets, e-commerce platforms and membership warehouse clubs. Its merchandise includes groceries, apparel, electronics, home goods, health and beauty products, general merchandise and other consumer products.

Founded by Sam Walton in 1962 and incorporated in 1969, Walmart is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas. The company serves customers through operations in the United States and international markets, including Mexico, Canada, China, India and several countries in Central America and Africa.