71,174 Shares in Walmart Inc. $WMT Acquired by Pure Financial Advisors LLC

Pure Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 71,174 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $8,061,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the first quarter worth about $29,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 57.4% in the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Sankala Group LLC bought a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings cut Walmart from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $120.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, BTIG Research reduced their target price on Walmart from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $131.88.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s fiscal second-quarter results showed continued momentum beyond traditional store sales: revenue reached approximately $187.9 billion, global e-commerce grew 23%, and advertising revenue increased 38%. These higher-growth businesses could support future margins and cash flow. Walmart Growth Engine Hums
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentary continue to point to Walmart’s expanding e-commerce, digital advertising, memberships, convenience-led fulfillment, automation and AI initiatives as reasons the recent decline could represent a long-term buying opportunity. Walmart’s scale and value-focused pricing remain important competitive advantages. Walmart Continues to Grow Beyond Retail
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart settled a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit alleging that its pharmacies unlawfully contributed to the opioid epidemic. Resolving the case removes an overhang and reduces legal uncertainty, although the financial terms and any broader implications remain important for investors. Walmart Settles U.S. Opioid Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights a potentially tougher consumer environment. Walmart’s comparable sales growth was 3.4% excluding pharmacy-related items, while middle-income shoppers appear increasingly focused on necessities and limiting discretionary purchases. Walmart and Home Depot Results
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are also questioning whether Walmart’s valuation adequately reflects its strong performance. A high earnings multiple, slower core sales growth and the stock’s position below its moving averages have amplified the impact of the recent selloff. Walmart Selloff Analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Executive Vice President Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares worth approximately $5.3 million. The sale was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan to cover taxes on vested equity awards, making it a weaker bearish signal than discretionary insider selling. Walmart Insider Trading Filing

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $103.09 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $95.79 and a one year high of $135.15. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $111.90 and a 200 day simple moving average of $120.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $820.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.22, a PEG ratio of 3.92 and a beta of 0.61.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 business 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $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. On average, research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total transaction of $1,435,203.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 125,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,985,527.94. The trade was a 8.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.34, for a total transaction of $308,386.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 569,153 shares in the company, valued at approximately $60,523,730.02. The trade was a 0.51% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 77,292 shares of company stock worth $8,421,143. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Walmart 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.