Cullen Capital Management LLC Makes New $4.38 Million Investment in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Cullen Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund bought 38,704 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $4,381,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Walmart by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $19,046,104,000 after acquiring an additional 2,242,364 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $11,426,753,000 after purchasing an additional 6,517,394 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $6,458,529,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,626,852 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,526,238,000 after purchasing an additional 328,229 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 36,820,550 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,102,546,000 after purchasing an additional 920,969 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $103.09 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $111.90 and a 200 day moving average of $120.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $820.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.22, a PEG ratio of 3.90 and a beta of 0.61. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $95.79 and a fifty-two week high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.83% and a net margin of 3.00%.The company had revenue of $187.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $186.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.68 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter 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. As a group, research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Roth Capital reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Truist Financial set a $114.00 target price on Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. UBS Group reduced their price target on Walmart from $141.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Gordon Haskett cut shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to an “accumulate” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 20th. Three research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $131.88.

Walmart News Roundup

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.34, for a total transaction of $308,386.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 569,153 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $60,523,730.02. This trade represents a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,710 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.10, for a total transaction of $419,601.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 626,299 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $70,834,416.90. This represents a 0.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 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 over the last 90 days. Company 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.