Prudential PLC Increases Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Prudential PLC increased its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 87.9% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 315,152 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 147,393 shares during the period. Prudential PLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $30,816,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WMT. Access Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Operose Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 319.7% in the 1st quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. PFS Partners LLC grew its position in Walmart by 267.8% during the second quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 320 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 233 shares during the period. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd increased its holdings in Walmart by 432.4% during the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 362 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 294 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 55.3% during the second quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 323 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of WMT stock opened at $100.55 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $801.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.80, a PEG ratio of 4.83 and a beta of 0.67. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $103.40 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $99.80. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $79.81 and a 1 year high of $109.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.45% and a net margin of 3.08%.The firm had revenue of $179.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $175.15 billion. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.33, for a total transaction of $222,926.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 621,718 shares in the company, valued at $62,998,684.94. This represents a 0.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.97, for a total transaction of $1,863,353.52. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,392,985 shares in the company, valued at approximately $421,594,770.45. The trade was a 0.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 133,888 shares of company stock worth $13,835,383. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Walmart from $127.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $118.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Erste Group Bank upgraded Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, DA Davidson set a $117.00 price target on Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Thirty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $114.46.

Walmart Profile

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, other units, and eCommerce worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club. It operates supercenters, supermarkets, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs, cash and carry stores, and discount stores under Walmart and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands; membership-only warehouse clubs; ecommerce websites, such as walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, PhonePe and other sites; and mobile commerce applications.