First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. Acquires 25,366 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. increased its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 22.0% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 140,542 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 25,366 shares during the period. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $14,605,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Perpetual Ltd increased its stake in Walmart by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 25,262 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,625,000 after purchasing an additional 563 shares during the period. Vertrix Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 6.0% in the third quarter. Vertrix Wealth Management LLC now owns 56,381 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,859,000 after purchasing an additional 3,197 shares during the last quarter. JGP Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.7% during the third quarter. JGP Wealth Management LLC now owns 135,219 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $14,052,000 after purchasing an additional 3,562 shares during the period. Roan Capital Partners boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 6.8% during the third quarter. Roan Capital Partners now owns 5,237 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $544,000 after purchasing an additional 334 shares during the period. Finally, Montz Harcus Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 9.0% during the third quarter. Montz Harcus Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,547 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $784,000 after purchasing an additional 621 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.35, for a total transaction of $5,335,345.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 201,672 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,246,145.20. The trade was a 20.07% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.66, for a total transaction of $1,399,912.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 647,912 shares in the company, valued at $69,106,293.92. This represents a 1.99% 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 81,219 shares of company stock valued at $8,604,429 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on WMT shares. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Walmart to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 price target (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Guggenheim set a $130.00 price target on shares of Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $131.74.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart opened a more than 900,000-square-foot automated fulfillment center in Stockton, California. The facility uses automation and machine learning to reduce order processing steps, improve West Coast delivery speed and support e-commerce growth. Walmart’s Fulfillment Center to Boost West Coast Delivery Reach
• Positive Sentiment: Research indicating Walmart is frequently recommended by AI shopping tools could strengthen its online visibility and help capture holiday and everyday-product demand as consumers increasingly use artificial intelligence for shopping. Walmart Inc. Stock: AI Chatbot Recommendations Fuel Growth Potential
• Neutral Sentiment: Beginning in 2027, Walmart plans to provide eligible employees with more than 250 medications at no cost, including certain insulin, inhalers and GLP-1 treatments such as Ozempic and Mounjaro. The expanded benefits may improve employee recruitment and retention, but could also increase operating expenses. Walmart to Cover Some GLP-1s, Inhalers and Insulin for Employees
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains the main concern. Walmart trades at roughly 36 times forward earnings and about 40 times trailing earnings, a premium to its historical average and the broader consumer-staples sector. Analysts also point to rising costs and margin pressure, limiting the potential upside unless digital growth, advertising and memberships accelerate. Walmart Trading at 36.32X Forward P/E
• Negative Sentiment: GF Value analysis characterized Walmart shares as still overvalued, reinforcing investor caution after the stock’s decline from its 52-week high. Walmart Shares Fall—GF Value Says Still Overvalued

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $112.28 on Wednesday. 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 company has a market cap of $890.80 billion, a PE ratio of 39.96, a P/E/G ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 0.58. The business has a 50 day moving average of $108.49 and a 200 day moving average of $116.29. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $98.88 and a 52 week high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $186.64 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.83% and a net margin of 3.00%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.68 earnings per share. 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 forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Company Profile

Walmart Inc (NASDAQ: WMT) is a multinational retailer that operates supercenters, discount stores, neighborhood markets, warehouse clubs and e-commerce platforms. Its merchandise includes groceries, apparel, electronics, home goods, health and wellness products, household essentials and general merchandise. Walmart also provides services such as grocery pickup and delivery, pharmacy services, financial products and digital advertising.

The company serves customers through its Walmart U.S., Walmart International and Sam’s Club segments.