Pursue Wealth Partners LLC cut its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT – Free Report) by 26.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 35,285 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 12,996 shares during the period. Walmart makes up approximately 2.2% of Pursue Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Pursue Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $3,996,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the first quarter worth $29,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 57.4% during the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Sankala Group LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday. DA Davidson set a $132.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $126.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday. BNP Paribas Exane restated an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 target price (down from $146.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday. Finally, Guggenheim set a $130.00 price target on shares of Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $131.88.
Walmart News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Walmart reported adjusted earnings of $0.81 per share and revenue of $187.94 billion, beating consensus estimates of $0.74 and $186.62 billion, respectively. Revenue increased 5.9% year over year. Walmart earnings report
- Positive Sentiment: Growth businesses remain strong: global e-commerce sales rose 23%, advertising revenue increased 38%, and global membership revenue grew 17%. These trends support the long-term investment case despite slower core-store growth. Walmart second-quarter highlights
- Positive Sentiment: Walmart plans to use approximately $2.9 billion in tariff refunds to help lower prices, potentially strengthening its value proposition as consumers become more budget-conscious. The rollout of tap-to-pay, including Apple Pay and Google Pay, may also improve checkout convenience. Walmart tap to pay rollout
- Neutral Sentiment: Several analysts retained bullish ratings—including buy, outperform, and overweight—but lowered price targets after the earnings release. New targets range from $120 to $140, indicating analysts still see meaningful upside but have moderated their expectations.
- Negative Sentiment: U.S. comparable sales grew 2.6%, below expectations near 3.5%, marking Walmart’s weakest domestic comparable-sales growth in more than six years. Analysts cited weakness in health and wellness and questioned the trajectory of the core U.S. business.
- Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter guidance fell short of consensus: Walmart projected adjusted EPS of $0.62–$0.64 versus $0.68 expected and revenue of $183.1–$184.5 billion versus $188.2 billion expected. The timing of Flipkart’s promotional event is also expected to reduce quarterly sales growth by more than 100 basis points.
- Negative Sentiment: The stock’s elevated valuation increases sensitivity to any slowdown, while higher energy costs and consumer trade-offs are raising broader concerns about the health of U.S. retail spending.
Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart
In other Walmart news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.34, for a total value of $308,386.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 569,153 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $60,523,730.02. The trade was a 0.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible 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 the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total value of $1,308,670.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president 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. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 57,064 shares of company stock valued at $6,697,788. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.
Walmart Stock Down 0.1%
Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $103.70 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The company has a market capitalization of $825.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.44, a P/E/G ratio of 3.94 and a beta of 0.61. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $95.42 and a 52-week high of $135.15. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $113.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $121.26.
Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.83% and a net margin of 3.00%.The firm had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $186.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.68 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.85 earnings per share 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.
Further Reading
- Five stocks we like better than Walmart
- Blueprint for a Boom: SEC Clears the Crypto Runway
- Ross Stores Just Flipped the Off-Price Retail Story After TJX’s Marmaxx Miss
- Advance Auto Parts Plunged, But Its Turnaround Is Still Working
- Is Palo Alto Networks Priced for Perfection Again as AI Security Demand Accelerates?
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WMT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT – Free Report).
Receive News & Ratings for Walmart Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Walmart and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
