Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA Decreases Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA reduced its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 9.4% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 87,818 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 9,115 shares during the period. Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA’s holdings in Walmart were worth $10,907,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on WMT. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Walmart from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. UBS Group set a $141.00 price target on Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Truist Financial set a $140.00 price target on Walmart in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.85.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WMT traded up $1.71 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $112.36. 5,126,548 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 26,004,516. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $122.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $122.11. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $94.23 and a one year 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 0.42. The firm has a market cap of $894.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.17 and a beta of 0.60.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS 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 quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.61 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key 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

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total transaction of $413,891.00. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the company’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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 125,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,985,527.94. The trade was 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 a total of 104,505 shares of company stock worth $12,858,514 in the last quarter. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Walmart

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.