Renaissance Technologies LLC Sells 300,037 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Renaissance Technologies LLC lessened its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 97.0% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 9,223 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 300,037 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,147,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Bollard Group LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 15.1% in the 1st quarter. Bollard Group LLC now owns 327,537 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $40,707,000 after purchasing an additional 42,880 shares during the period. Morningstar Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 9.0% during the first quarter. Morningstar Investment Management LLC now owns 59,711 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $7,421,000 after buying an additional 4,919 shares during the last quarter. Pennington Partners & CO. LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.1% in the first quarter. Pennington Partners & CO. LLC now owns 9,313 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,160,000 after buying an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. GC Wealth Management RIA LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 5.9% in the first quarter. GC Wealth Management RIA LLC now owns 83,521 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $10,380,000 after buying an additional 4,626 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Klingman & Associates LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 2.7% during the first quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC now owns 16,668 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,072,000 after acquiring an additional 442 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Trading Down 0.2%

WMT opened at $115.72 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $920.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.60, a P/E/G ratio of 4.33 and a beta of 0.61. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $95.42 and a 12 month 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 0.42. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $114.41 and a 200 day moving average of $121.56.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting 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 return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business 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. As a group, research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total transaction of $413,891.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 630,009 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $69,074,186.76. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.08, for a total transaction of $1,628,550.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 661,037 shares in the company, valued at $82,021,470.96. This trade represents a 1.95% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 70,189 shares of company stock worth $8,377,320. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on WMT shares. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Tigress Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $155.00 price target (up from $150.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Truist Financial set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 target price (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Oppenheimer downgraded Walmart from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.56.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s e-commerce business is increasingly developing into a broader commerce platform, supported by digital sales growth and a flywheel connecting stores, delivery, advertising and marketplace services. This strengthens the long-term growth case beyond its traditional big-box retail operations. Walmart’s E-Commerce Engine Roars
• Positive Sentiment: RBC reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $137 price target, implying meaningful upside from recent trading levels. Bank of America also said Walmart could return to a “beat-and-raise” pattern in the upcoming quarter, despite softer spending among lower-income consumers. Walmart Could Return to Its Beat-and-Raise Playbook
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart will report fiscal 2027 second-quarter results before the market opens on August 20, followed by a conference call with CEO John Furner and CFO John David Rainey. The event is the next major catalyst for the shares. Walmart to Host Second-Quarter Earnings Conference Call
• Neutral Sentiment: Shipping disruptions, capacity constraints and higher freight prices could affect Walmart’s inventory costs and merchandise availability, although the company’s scale and supply-chain capabilities may provide some protection. Shipping’s Rough Seas
• Negative Sentiment: Amazon’s efforts to let Alexa identify household grocery needs and automatically create shopping lists highlight a competitive threat to Walmart’s customer relationship. If consumers begin their shopping journeys through AI assistants, Walmart could lose traffic, data and potential marketplace sales. Amazon Wants Alexa to Own the Shopping List
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts at RBC reportedly expect Walmart and other major U.S. retailers to potentially miss second-quarter comparable-sales estimates. Separate commentary flags rising costs, margin pressure and an expensive valuation, while earnings estimates have also been reduced by Erste Group analysts. Big-Box Retailers May Miss Comparable-Sales Expectations

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.