Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Increases Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp boosted its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,500,162 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 62,364 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for approximately 0.6% of Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp’s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp’s holdings in Walmart were worth $283,168,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Advisortrust Partners LLC raised its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 11,283 shares in the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 253.3% in the 1st quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA now owns 384,034 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $47,728,000 after purchasing an additional 275,337 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 2.9% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 2,416,580 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $300,333,000 after purchasing an additional 68,632 shares in the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 42.1% during the fourth quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 275,341 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $30,676,000 after purchasing an additional 81,635 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HORAN Wealth LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 55.7% in the first quarter. HORAN Wealth LLC now owns 81,544 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $9,931,000 after purchasing an additional 29,184 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $67,953,695.07. This trade represents a 0.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total transaction of $1,308,670.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 120,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,300,550.91. This trade represents a 8.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 54,164 shares of company stock worth $6,389,402 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on WMT shares. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $142.00 target price on shares of Walmart and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Tigress Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $155.00 price target (up from $150.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $135.00 price target (down from $137.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.50.

Walmart News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart enters the report with a strong earnings track record, having exceeded revenue expectations for 25 consecutive quarters. Analysts also see potential for another earnings beat, supported by e-commerce momentum and a growing contribution from Walmart Connect advertising. Walmart Q2 Preview
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s grocery leadership, expanding online business and higher-margin retail-media operations remain important long-term strengths. Advertising growth could help offset the cost of competitive pricing and faster delivery. DA Davidson also reiterated a Buy rating. Retail stagnates, ad dollars help Walmart stay the course
• Neutral Sentiment: Options traders expect a significant post-earnings move, highlighting elevated volatility and the possibility that results or guidance could materially change the stock’s near-term direction. Barchart data ahead of Walmart earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Thousands of price reductions may support customer traffic but could slow sales growth and pressure profit margins. Same-store sales momentum has moderated, increasing investor dependence on advertising and other higher-margin businesses. Walmart sales growth expected to slow
• Negative Sentiment: Several previews characterize WMT as expensive ahead of earnings, with a price-to-earnings ratio near 40 and a cautious outlook already weighing on sentiment. Investors may require a clear earnings or guidance upside to justify the valuation. Walmart valuation concern ahead of Q2 earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart’s grocery advantage faces a margin test as shoppers increasingly purchase additional goods from Amazon, while elevated costs and cautious consumers could limit profitability. Walmart grocery margin test

Walmart Stock Down 0.8%

WMT stock opened at $114.30 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $114.03 and a 200 day moving average of $121.49. The firm has a market cap of $909.61 billion, a PE ratio of 40.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 0.61. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $95.42 and a twelve month high of $135.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.61 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.