Westpac Banking Corp Lowers Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Westpac Banking Corp cut its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 30.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 25,104 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 11,142 shares during the quarter. Westpac Banking Corp’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,455,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Aviva PLC lifted its position in Walmart by 16.4% during the second quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 3,833,720 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $374,861,000 after purchasing an additional 539,504 shares during the period. Weatherly Asset Management L. P. grew its position in Walmart by 7.0% during the 2nd quarter. Weatherly Asset Management L. P. now owns 56,140 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,489,000 after purchasing an additional 3,696 shares during the period. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 34.6% during the 1st quarter. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management now owns 38,213 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,355,000 after buying an additional 9,831 shares during the last quarter. Ally Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 1st quarter valued at about $2,107,000. Finally, Night Squared LP acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,052,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on WMT. Tigress Financial upped their price objective on Walmart from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 price target (up previously from $112.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, August 18th. Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on Walmart from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $111.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, September 24th. Thirty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $113.50.

Walmart Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $102.43 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $103.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $99.72. The company has a market capitalization of $816.68 billion, a PE ratio of 38.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.83 and a beta of 0.67. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $79.81 and a 12-month high of $109.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 21st. The retailer reported $0.68 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.06). Walmart had a net margin of 3.08% and a return on equity of 21.45%. The company had revenue of $169.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.02 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.67 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.580-0.600 EPS. FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.620 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.78, for a total value of $1,414,612.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 892,940 shares in the company, valued at approximately $96,241,073.20. This trade represents a 1.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,550 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.46, for a total value of $166,563.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 644,418 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $69,249,158.28. This represents a 0.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 149,383 shares of company stock worth $15,365,487 in the last quarter. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Company Profile

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, other units, and eCommerce worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club. It operates supercenters, supermarkets, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs, cash and carry stores, and discount stores under Walmart and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands; membership-only warehouse clubs; ecommerce websites, such as walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, PhonePe and other sites; and mobile commerce applications.