Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. Purchases 5,190 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 304.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,897 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 5,190 shares during the period. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $857,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA increased its position in Walmart by 253.3% during the first quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA now owns 384,034 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $47,728,000 after acquiring an additional 275,337 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.9% in the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 2,416,580 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $300,333,000 after acquiring an additional 68,632 shares during the period. Vise Technologies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 42.1% in the 4th quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 275,341 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $30,676,000 after acquiring an additional 81,635 shares during the last quarter. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $40,855,000. Finally, Winning Points Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $1,761,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Trading Up 2.2%

Shares of WMT opened at $114.95 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $914.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.33, a PEG ratio of 4.19 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $94.43 and a 1-year high of $135.15. The company has a 50-day moving average of $119.14 and a 200 day moving average of $122.10.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. The business had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.61 EPS. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s back-to-school push is getting attention as the retailer highlights its lowest prices since 2019 on popular school items, which could help drive traffic and sales into the important seasonal shopping period. Walmart Helps Americans Navigate Their Annual Back-to-School Reset with Unmatched Value, Convenience and Style
• Positive Sentiment: June retail sales rose modestly, suggesting consumers are still spending and reinforcing Walmart’s value-oriented appeal as shoppers look for lower prices on essentials. Retail Sales Hold Up as Walmart and Amazon Go Back to School
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart also announced a partnership with General Mills and ADM to expand regenerative agriculture across 40,000 Midwest wheat acres, a long-term supply-chain and sustainability initiative that may support the company’s brand and sourcing strategy. General Mills, ADM, Walmart Partner to Accelerate Regenerative Agriculture Across 40,000 Midwest Wheat Acres
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts continue to flag Walmart’s premium valuation, with a forward P/E around 36.7x, which suggests investors expect strong execution but also leaves less room for disappointment. Walmart Commands a 36.74X Forward P/E: Is the Stock Worth Buying?
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary on Walmart’s AI-related hiring plans highlights the company’s investment in automation and digital tools, but it does not appear to materially change near-term earnings expectations. Walmart’s people chief says these 10 jobs are still hot in the age of AI
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market volatility and articles comparing Walmart with other defensive stocks add context, but they are not direct catalysts for the shares. 3 Stocks to Own When the Market Gets Ugly in July
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart’s stock has also recently been under pressure on a day when the broader market was firmer, underscoring some investor caution around the name despite its defensive profile. Walmart (WMT) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: Here’s Why

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on WMT shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Erste Group Bank lowered Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Finally, UBS Group set a $141.00 price target on Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.85.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $67,953,695.07. The trade was a 0.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at 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 company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total value of $1,308,670.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 120,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,300,550.91. This represents a 8.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 87,145 shares of company stock valued at $10,691,920 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

About Walmart

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.