Optas LLC Sells 12,667 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Optas LLC decreased its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 44.1% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 16,058 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 12,667 shares during the quarter. Optas LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,570,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. now owns 25,915 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,275,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. Scott & Selber Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Scott & Selber Inc. now owns 2,920 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $256,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,794 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $684,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. Lauterbach Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Lauterbach Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,885 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $517,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. Finally, Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Baron Silver Stevens Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,799 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $685,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.14, for a total value of $1,248,712.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 932,313 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $88,700,258.82. The trade was a 1.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CTO Suresh Kumar sold 30,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.47, for a total transaction of $3,104,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer directly owned 1,787,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $184,921,584. This trade represents a 1.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 151,232 shares of company stock valued at $15,083,877. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT opened at $101.72 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $101.15 and a 200-day moving average of $97.06. The company has a market capitalization of $811.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.24, a PEG ratio of 4.85 and a beta of 0.67. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $79.37 and a 1-year high of $106.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.79.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 21st. The retailer reported $0.68 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.74 by ($0.06). Walmart had a net margin of 3.08% and a return on equity of 21.45%. The business had revenue of $169.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.02 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.67 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.580-0.600 EPS. FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.620 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $118.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, September 24th. Tigress Financial lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 3rd. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 price target (up previously from $112.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $111.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, September 24th. Thirty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $112.38.

Walmart Company Profile

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, other units, and eCommerce worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club. It operates supercenters, supermarkets, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs, cash and carry stores, and discount stores under Walmart and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands; membership-only warehouse clubs; ecommerce websites, such as walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, PhonePe and other sites; and mobile commerce applications.