Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. Invests $2.02 Million in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm acquired 17,843 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $2,021,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the first quarter worth $29,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 57.4% in the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Sankala Group LLC bought a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $128.00 price objective (down from $137.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $147.00 to $132.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of Walmart to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $131.88.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s Sparky AI shopping assistant reportedly generates 40% higher customer spending among users, while the company is also integrating AI into advertising and exploring technology partnerships with OpenAI and ChatGPT. These efforts could lift conversion, basket sizes and future digital-advertising revenue. Walmart Sparky AI article
• Positive Sentiment: The launch of Scenario, a women’s fashion brand with most products priced below $25, is designed to attract younger, trend-conscious shoppers and strengthen Walmart’s position in apparel. Its value pricing may help the retailer compete more directly with Amazon. Walmart Scenario fashion brand article
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts’ consensus price target of approximately $128 remains well above recent trading levels, suggesting some Wall Street analysts view the selloff as excessive. Walmart also exceeded quarterly EPS and revenue expectations and raised its full-year sales-growth outlook to 4%-5%.
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is rolling out NFC tap-to-pay across U.S. stores and clubs, improving checkout convenience and aligning with broader mobile-wallet adoption. The change may support engagement but is unlikely to materially alter near-term earnings. Walmart NFC rollout article
• Negative Sentiment: U.S. comparable sales increased only 2.6%, below the 3.8% consensus estimate and representing Walmart’s slowest comparable-sales growth in six years. Higher gasoline prices and broader economic pressure may be making consumers more cautious, despite the earnings beat. Walmart comparable-sales miss article
• Negative Sentiment: Amazon’s share of U.S. clothing spending doubled to 17% in 2025 from 8.5% in 2019, while Walmart’s share edged lower. The widening gap raises concerns about Walmart’s ability to gain share in an important retail category. Amazon and Walmart clothing-share article
• Negative Sentiment: Commentators argue WMT still trades at a premium valuation—roughly 36 times forward earnings—despite decelerating growth and cautious consumer trends. That leaves less room for disappointment and has amplified the post-earnings decline.

Walmart Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of WMT stock opened at $105.38 on Wednesday. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $95.42 and a 12-month high of $135.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $112.75 and a 200-day moving average of $120.93. The company has a market capitalization of $838.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.04, a P/E/G ratio of 4.05 and a beta of 0.61.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $186.64 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.00% and a return on equity of 21.83%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.68 EPS. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart 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 owned 569,153 shares in the company, valued at approximately $60,523,730.02. The trade was a 0.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total transaction of $1,435,203.96. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 125,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,985,527.94. This represents a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 57,064 shares of company stock valued at $6,697,788 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Company 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.