Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ Sells 6,883 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ reduced its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 0.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,383,150 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 6,883 shares during the period. Walmart makes up about 0.9% of Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ’s holdings in Walmart were worth $171,897,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 193.0% in the fourth quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on WMT shares. Craig Hallum set a $150.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, March 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Truist Financial set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.85.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s ad business, Walmart Connect, is being viewed as an increasingly important margin driver, supported by ad growth, seller spending, and e-commerce gains. This helps offset concerns about retail margin pressure. Is Walmart Connect Becoming a Bigger Margin Driver for WMT?
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is also benefiting from its role in helping seniors navigate new Medicare coverage for obesity drugs, which reinforces its healthcare-related services and customer reach. Healthy Returns: Walmart, CVS step in to help seniors navigate Medicare coverage of obesity drugs
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart+ engagement appears to be supported by popular fuel discounts, which could help membership retention and recurring revenue over time. Walmart+ Executive Says Fuel Discounts Supercharge Member Engagement
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention remains elevated around WMT, with recent articles highlighting the stock’s large valuation and the market’s ongoing debate about whether e-commerce and store investments can justify the premium.
• Negative Sentiment: Traders are selling Walmart after a research note from Cleveland Research suggested U.S. comparable sales have “slowed to some degree,” raising concerns that domestic growth momentum may be cooling. Walmart Shares Slip Amid Sales Slowdown Concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Another note said Walmart shares have fallen to near an eight-month low as analysts flag slowing sales, reinforcing concerns that near-term fundamentals may not match the stock’s valuation. WMT Stock Sinks To Near Eight-Month Low — Cleveland Research Flags Slowing Sales

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $108.82 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $866.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.18, a P/E/G ratio of 4.22 and a beta of 0.60. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $94.23 and a 1-year high of $135.15. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $122.87 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $122.18. 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 (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 company posted $0.61 earnings per share. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. Research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.92, for a total value of $359,368.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 577,853 shares in the company, valued at approximately $71,607,543.76. This represents a 0.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.84, for a total value of $1,638,525.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 674,162 shares in the company, valued at approximately $84,162,384.08. This represents a 1.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 100,730 shares of company stock worth $12,444,624 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

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.