Simplicity Wealth LLC Acquires 134,621 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Simplicity Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 272.0% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 184,119 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 134,621 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for 0.7% of Simplicity Wealth LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Simplicity Wealth LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $20,853,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the first quarter worth $29,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in 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. Sankala Group LLC bought a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 630,009 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,074,186.76. This represents a 0.60% 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. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 120,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,300,550.91. The trade was a 8.38% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 54,164 shares of company stock valued at $6,389,402. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Down 9.2%

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $103.84 on Friday. 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 company has a market cap of $826.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.44, a PEG ratio of 4.27 and a beta of 0.61. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $113.69 and its 200-day moving average price is $121.39. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $95.42 and a 52-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. The company had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $186.62 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company 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. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WMT. Erste Group Bank cut Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 18th. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.26.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart reported fiscal second-quarter adjusted EPS of $0.81, above the $0.74 consensus, while revenue rose 5.9% year over year to $187.94 billion and exceeded estimates. Walmart quarterly earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Growth areas remained strong: global e-commerce increased 23%, advertising revenue rose 38%, and global membership revenue grew 17%. Gross margin also benefited from tariff-refund impacts. Walmart reports second-quarter revenue growth
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its fiscal-year earnings outlook and expects to use approximately $2.9 billion in tariff refunds to support lower prices, potentially strengthening customer traffic and market share. Walmart tariff refunds and prices
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS analyst Michael Lasser remained bullish, citing Walmart’s e-commerce, advertising and membership momentum, while technical coverage noted the stock had entered oversold territory near potential support around $100. Analyst remains bullish on Walmart
• Negative Sentiment: U.S. comparable sales grew 2.6%, well below expectations near 3.5%–3.7% and the weakest growth in more than six years. Higher gas and other living costs appear to be causing consumers to make trade-offs, raising concerns about the broader U.S. consumer. Reuters report on Walmart sales miss
• Negative Sentiment: Fiscal third-quarter EPS guidance of $0.62–$0.64 and revenue guidance of $183.1–$184.5 billion fell short of consensus estimates of $0.68 and $188.2 billion, respectively. The timing of Flipkart’s major promotional event is also expected to create a sales headwind. Walmart guidance disappoints investors
• Negative Sentiment: Gordon Haskett downgraded Walmart from “buy” to “accumulate.” The stock’s premium valuation amplified the market’s reaction, while rising bond yields pressured the broader equity market. U.S. stocks slide as Walmart disappoints

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.