Kinloch Capital LLC Acquires New Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Kinloch Capital LLC bought a new position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 30,994 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $3,510,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Bell & Brown Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the second quarter valued at about $6,451,000. Advisortrust Partners LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 20.2% during the first quarter. Advisortrust Partners LLC now owns 67,142 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,344,000 after acquiring an additional 11,283 shares during the period. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA increased its stake 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 period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 2.9% in the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Vise Technologies Inc. raised its holdings in Walmart by 42.1% in the 4th quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 275,341 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $30,676,000 after acquiring an additional 81,635 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Roth Capital reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $128.00 target price (down from $137.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $126.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Mizuho set a $130.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, July 27th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $131.88.

Key Headlines Impacting 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

Walmart Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of WMT opened at $103.09 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $95.79 and a 1 year high of $135.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $111.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $120.45. The stock has a market cap of $820.40 billion, a PE ratio of 37.22, a PEG ratio of 3.90 and a beta of 0.61.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.83% and a net margin of 3.00%.The business had revenue of $187.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $186.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.68 EPS. Walmart’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. 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, sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.35, for a total value of $5,335,345.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 201,672 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,246,145.20. This represents a 20.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total transaction of $413,891.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 630,009 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $69,074,186.76. This trade represents a 0.60% 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. Insiders sold a total of 77,292 shares of company stock valued at $8,421,143 in the last ninety days. 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.