26,388 Shares in Walmart Inc. $WMT Bought by PCM Encore LLC

PCM Encore LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 26,388 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $2,989,000. Walmart comprises 0.5% of PCM Encore LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Grand Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 2nd quarter valued at about $244,000. Trillium Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 2nd quarter valued at about $253,000. Altman Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,035,000. Clay Northam Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $930,000. Finally, Jupiter Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the second quarter worth approximately $1,317,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unusually heavy call-option activity may indicate increased near-term bullish interest. Investors purchased 166,747 call options, about 33% above the typical daily volume. However, options activity is speculative and does not guarantee further gains.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is rolling out tap-to-pay and NFC capabilities across its U.S. stores and clubs. The move could improve checkout convenience, support mobile-wallet adoption and strengthen customer engagement as digital sales and membership become more important. Can Walmart’s Tap to Pay Push Strengthen Customer Engagement?
• Positive Sentiment: The company is introducing Scenario, a mostly sub-$25 fashion brand aimed at younger shoppers. Walmart hopes the offering will attract value-conscious consumers and improve its competitive position against Amazon in apparel. Walmart Aims to Take On Amazon With Trendier Apparel
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart’s latest quarter exceeded expectations, with adjusted earnings of $0.81 per share versus roughly $0.74 expected and revenue of $187.94 billion, up 5.9% year over year. Full-year sales guidance was also raised to 4%-5%, but the outlook implies moderating growth.
• Negative Sentiment: U.S. comparable sales growth slowed to 2.6%, compared with 4.1% in the prior quarter and 4.6% a year earlier. Investors remain concerned that cautious consumers and uneven spending are pressuring traffic and discretionary purchases.
• Negative Sentiment: Several analysts reduced Walmart’s price targets or issued more cautious forecasts after the earnings report. Critics also argue that the stock remains expensive at roughly 36 times forward earnings despite decelerating growth, limiting upside.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 630,009 shares in the company, valued at $69,074,186.76. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at 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 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 125,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,985,527.94. This represents a 8.74% 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 57,064 shares of company stock valued at $6,697,788. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on WMT. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. DA Davidson set a $132.00 target price on Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $128.00 price target (down from $137.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on Walmart from $147.00 to $132.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $131.88.

Walmart Stock Up 2.7%

Shares of WMT stock opened at $106.49 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $95.42 and a one year high of $135.15. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $113.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $121.09. The company has a market capitalization of $847.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.44, a PEG ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.61.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a net margin of 3.00% and a return on equity of 21.83%. The company had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $186.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.68 EPS. Walmart’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.