M1 Capital Management LLC Acquires Shares of 10,322 Walmart Inc. $WMT

M1 Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 10,322 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,169,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the second quarter worth about $145,000. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Walmart during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $3,392,000. Ieq Capital LLC bought a new position in Walmart during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $77,140,000. Burnham & Co LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $903,000. Finally, Heron Bay Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $405,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.34, for a total value of $308,386.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 569,153 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $60,523,730.02. The trade was a 0.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,710 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.10, for a total value of $419,601.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 626,299 shares in the company, valued at $70,834,416.90. The trade was a 0.59% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 26,648 shares of company stock worth $3,085,798. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Guggenheim set a $130.00 target price on Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $120.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. DA Davidson set a $132.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Evercore set a $125.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Walmart currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $131.88.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to project upside for WMT, with reports citing consensus price targets of $138.50 and $128.43—well above recent trading levels. Large call-option purchases also suggest some traders are positioning for a rebound. Walmart consensus price target Walmart call options activity
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s digital sales, automation and AI initiatives remain key parts of the growth story. Its Sparky shopping assistant has reportedly produced customer baskets about 40% larger than those of customers shopping without the tool, while Walmart is also exploring advertising and technology opportunities with OpenAI and ChatGPT. Walmart Sparky AI assistant
• Positive Sentiment: The new Scenario women’s fashion brand, with most items priced below $25, could help Walmart attract younger shoppers and expand its apparel business. The company is also increasing rapid-delivery capabilities through Flipkart in India. Walmart launches Scenario fashion brand
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are comparing Walmart’s digital and business-mix expansion with MercadoLibre’s broader ecosystem growth, highlighting Walmart’s improving online opportunity but also the high expectations embedded in its valuation. Walmart versus MercadoLibre growth comparison
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart’s U.S. comparable sales rose 2.6%, below the 3.8% analyst estimate and representing the company’s slowest comparable-sales growth in roughly six years. Higher gasoline prices and broader economic pressure may be making consumers more cautious. Walmart comparable-sales miss
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains a concern after Walmart’s substantial five-year gain. Analysts note that the stock trades at a premium relative to peers despite slower store-sales momentum, while Amazon continues to take share of U.S. clothing spending from Walmart. Walmart valuation concerns Amazon clothing share versus Walmart

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $104.34 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $112.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $120.78. The stock has a market cap of $830.35 billion, a PE ratio of 37.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.00 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $95.60 and a 12 month high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a net margin of 3.00% and a return on equity of 21.83%. The company had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $186.64 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.68 EPS. Walmart’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. On average, equities analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.