Kranot Hishtalmut Le Morim Ve Gananot Havera Menahelet LTD Invests $14.50 Million in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Kranot Hishtalmut Le Morim Ve Gananot Havera Menahelet LTD purchased a new position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 128,052 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $14,503,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the first quarter valued at $29,000. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 57.4% during the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Sankala Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Turim 21 Investimentos Ltda. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 1st quarter valued at about $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: DA Davidson reaffirmed its Buy rating and set a $150 price target, implying substantial upside from recent trading levels. The bullish view supports the stock by pointing to Walmart’s defensive business model and continued customer traffic. Benzinga analyst rating report
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts say Walmart has not yet seen a major change in shopping behavior despite gasoline prices rising above $4 per gallon. The retailer is also gaining share among higher-income customers, which could help offset pressure on lower-income households. TheStreet gas price and Walmart shoppers article
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart leads a closely watched retail earnings week. Its results, along with reports from Target, Home Depot and Lowe’s, are expected to provide fresh evidence about consumer health, promotional activity and the effects of inflation and fuel costs. Yahoo Finance consumer landscape preview
• Negative Sentiment: Investor expectations appear cautious ahead of earnings. Oppenheimer downgraded Walmart to Perform and reportedly expects U.S. comparable sales growth of about 3%, below the roughly 3.8% consensus, with slower General Merchandise and Health & Wellness growth. Seeking Alpha Walmart earnings preview
• Negative Sentiment: Higher fuel prices could eventually squeeze discretionary spending among Walmart’s lower-income customers. Analysts also cite cautious guidance, elevated costs and a demanding valuation as reasons the stock may remain vulnerable if quarterly results or the outlook disappoint. Walmart’s previously reaffirmed fiscal 2027 guidance calls for 3.5%–4.5% net sales growth and adjusted EPS of $2.75–$2.85, rather than an upgrade. Seeking Alpha Walmart earnings setup

Walmart Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of WMT opened at $114.33 on Tuesday. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $95.42 and a 52-week high of $135.15. The company has a market capitalization of $909.85 billion, a PE ratio of 40.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.30 and a beta of 0.61. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $114.23 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $121.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The business had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.61 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on WMT. Freedom Capital raised shares of Walmart from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 target price (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and set a $135.00 price target (down from $137.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 price objective (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, May 7th. 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.50.

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.