Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Purchased by QRG Capital Management Inc.

QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 3.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 834,001 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 29,924 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up approximately 1.1% of QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 13th largest holding. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $103,650,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 57.4% during the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 193.0% during the fourth quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total value of $1,308,670.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 120,203 shares in the company, valued at $14,300,550.91. This trade represents a 8.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was 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 owned 630,009 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $69,074,186.76. The trade was a 0.60% 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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 104,505 shares of company stock worth $12,858,514. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WMT traded up $2.23 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $112.88. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,227,692 shares, compared to its average volume of 25,999,137. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $94.23 and a one year high of $135.15. The company has a market cap of $898.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.17 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $122.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $122.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm 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. On average, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Tigress Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $155.00 target price (up from $150.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 price target (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.85.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is getting attention for its growing e-commerce and membership momentum at Sam’s Club, with faster fulfillment and stronger digital sales supporting the case that the company can keep expanding despite cost pressure.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and industry commentary continue to point to Walmart’s scale, higher-margin businesses, and advertising growth as offsetting factors that could help sustain earnings resilience. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several items focus on Walmart as a defensive retail name amid questions about U.S. consumer strength, suggesting investors are still viewing WMT as a potential relative winner if spending slows.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary also notes that Walmart’s valuation remains elevated, which may limit upside in the short term even if fundamentals stay solid.
• Negative Sentiment: The biggest headline driver is Walmart’s decision to cut prices on hundreds of summer barbecue essentials, including beef, soda, and snacks, after President Trump said the move came at his administration’s request. That may pressure margins near term and has drawn attention to pricing pressure at the company.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors may also be reacting to the broader message that Walmart is leaning harder into discounting, which could reinforce concerns that competitive pricing could weigh on profitability even if it supports traffic. Article Title

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.