Manhattan West Asset Management LLC Makes New $811,000 Investment in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Manhattan West Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm acquired 7,162 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $811,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Walmart by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $19,046,104,000 after purchasing an additional 2,242,364 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $11,426,753,000 after buying an additional 6,517,394 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $6,458,529,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,626,852 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,526,238,000 after buying an additional 328,229 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in Walmart by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 36,820,550 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,102,546,000 after acquiring an additional 920,969 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total value of $1,308,670.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 120,203 shares in the company, valued at $14,300,550.91. This represents a 8.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,710 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.10, for a total transaction of $419,601.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 626,299 shares in the company, valued at approximately $70,834,416.90. This trade represents a 0.59% 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 57,064 shares of company stock worth $6,697,788 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Freedom Capital raised shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Walmart from $140.00 to $120.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 21st. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $126.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday. Finally, DA Davidson set a $132.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $131.88.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s Sparky AI shopping assistant reportedly generates 40% higher customer spending among users, while the company is also integrating AI into advertising and exploring technology partnerships with OpenAI and ChatGPT. These efforts could lift conversion, basket sizes and future digital-advertising revenue. Walmart Sparky AI article
• Positive Sentiment: The launch of Scenario, a women’s fashion brand with most products priced below $25, is designed to attract younger, trend-conscious shoppers and strengthen Walmart’s position in apparel. Its value pricing may help the retailer compete more directly with Amazon. Walmart Scenario fashion brand article
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts’ consensus price target of approximately $128 remains well above recent trading levels, suggesting some Wall Street analysts view the selloff as excessive. Walmart also exceeded quarterly EPS and revenue expectations and raised its full-year sales-growth outlook to 4%-5%.
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is rolling out NFC tap-to-pay across U.S. stores and clubs, improving checkout convenience and aligning with broader mobile-wallet adoption. The change may support engagement but is unlikely to materially alter near-term earnings. Walmart NFC rollout article
• Negative Sentiment: U.S. comparable sales increased only 2.6%, below the 3.8% consensus estimate and representing Walmart’s slowest comparable-sales growth in six years. Higher gasoline prices and broader economic pressure may be making consumers more cautious, despite the earnings beat. Walmart comparable-sales miss article
• Negative Sentiment: Amazon’s share of U.S. clothing spending doubled to 17% in 2025 from 8.5% in 2019, while Walmart’s share edged lower. The widening gap raises concerns about Walmart’s ability to gain share in an important retail category. Amazon and Walmart clothing-share article
• Negative Sentiment: Commentators argue WMT still trades at a premium valuation—roughly 36 times forward earnings—despite decelerating growth and cautious consumer trends. That leaves less room for disappointment and has amplified the post-earnings decline.

Walmart Stock Down 1.0%

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $105.38 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $838.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.05 and a beta of 0.61. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $95.42 and a twelve month high of $135.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $112.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $120.93.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $187.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $186.64 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.00% and a return on equity of 21.83%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business 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. Analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 EPS for the current year.

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.