Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Sold by Simplify Asset Management Inc.

Simplify Asset Management Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 62.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,356 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 10,534 shares during the quarter. Simplify Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $661,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WMT. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in Walmart in the second quarter valued at approximately $7,455,131,000. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 2nd quarter worth $2,905,655,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 2nd quarter worth $796,677,000. Deutsche Bank AG raised its position in shares of Walmart by 54.0% during the 2nd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 18,607,297 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,107,462,000 after acquiring an additional 6,525,224 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi raised its position in shares of Walmart by 44.4% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 20,796,957 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,355,463,000 after acquiring an additional 6,393,326 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,990 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.41, for a total value of $416,595.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 618,359 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $64,562,863.19. The trade was a 0.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.60, for a total value of $1,582,875.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 634,790 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $76,555,674. This trade represents a 2.03% 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 have sold a total of 102,244 shares of company stock worth $11,112,044 in the last three months. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Walmart Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $118.77 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $109.70 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $118.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. The company has a market capitalization of $942.29 billion, a PE ratio of 42.88, a PEG ratio of 4.33 and a beta of 0.58. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $98.88 and a 52 week high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $187.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $186.64 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.00% and a return on equity of 21.83%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.68 earnings per share. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. Analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Freedom Broker raised Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Walmart from $141.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 21st. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $130.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Walmart from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-three have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $132.41.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart lowered the cost of its Thanksgiving meal basket by $5, reinforcing its value proposition as consumers remain sensitive to food prices. Affordable holiday offerings could support traffic and market-share gains. Walmart Thanksgiving menu comparison
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart said AI training has increased technology confidence among its more than 2.1 million associates. Broader employee adoption could improve productivity and customer service over time. Walmart AI training for workers
• Positive Sentiment: The retailer is expanding its digital ecosystem by opening its store to AI shopping agents and adding controls for those transactions. Walmart is also partnering with Care Access to add three clinical-trial centers, supporting longer-term growth in digital commerce and healthcare services. Walmart AI shopping agents
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary continues to compare Walmart with Tesco and MercadoLibre, highlighting Walmart’s scale and expanding digital operations but also its elevated valuation and profitability considerations. WMT versus MercadoLibre
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart’s potential to benefit from advertising, e-commerce, automation and healthcare remains part of the investment case, although execution and valuation are key factors for investors.
• Negative Sentiment: The Federal Trade Commission demanded data from Walmart and other companies about personalized pricing. The inquiry could increase compliance costs or create reputational and regulatory risks if regulators find consumers are treated unfairly, though no wrongdoing was alleged. FTC personalized pricing inquiry
• Negative Sentiment: Exchange-traded funds were reported as net sellers of Walmart shares, creating a modest technical headwind and signaling some portfolio rebalancing pressure.
• Negative Sentiment: A lawsuit alleges Walmart inflated the weight of shrimp packages with ice. Although the financial impact is unclear, the claim adds potential legal costs and negative publicity. Walmart shrimp lawsuit

Walmart Profile

Walmart Inc (NASDAQ:WMT) operates a global retail business through a network of supercenters, supermarkets, discount stores, neighborhood markets, warehouse clubs and e-commerce platforms. Its stores and websites sell a broad assortment of merchandise, including groceries, consumables, health and wellness products, apparel, electronics, home goods, toys and other general merchandise.

The company organizes its operations into Walmart U.S., Walmart International and Sam’s Club U.S. Walmart U.S.