Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC Buys Shares of 8,327 Walmart Inc. $WMT

Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 8,327 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $943,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Walmart by 57.4% in the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Sankala Group LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total transaction of $1,435,203.96. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 125,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,985,527.94. This represents a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a 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, EVP Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.35, for a total transaction of $5,335,345.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 201,672 shares in the company, valued at $21,246,145.20. The trade was a 20.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold a total of 77,292 shares of company stock valued at $8,421,143 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Trading Up 0.4%

Walmart stock opened at $103.09 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $111.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $120.45. The company has a market cap of $820.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.22, a P/E/G ratio of 3.90 and a beta of 0.61. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $95.79 and a 52-week 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 0.41.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07. The firm 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business 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. Analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $128.00 price target (down from $137.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $126.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of Walmart to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Walmart from $147.00 to $132.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $131.88.

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.