Sapient Capital LLC Cuts Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Sapient Capital LLC trimmed its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 9.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 352,468 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 34,870 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises about 0.7% of Sapient Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $43,887,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $6,458,529,000. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 188.1% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,199,907,000 after acquiring an additional 7,614,172 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $11,426,753,000 after acquiring an additional 6,517,394 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $592,848,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $49,015,626,000 after purchasing an additional 4,304,436 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 120,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,300,550.91. This represents a 8.38% 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. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total value of $413,891.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 630,009 shares in the company, valued at $69,074,186.76. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders sold 67,729 shares of company stock valued at $8,124,931. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ WMT opened at $111.20 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $115.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $121.96. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock has a market cap of $884.94 billion, a PE ratio of 39.02, a PEG ratio of 4.15 and a beta of 0.60. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $95.42 and a 12 month high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The company had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.61 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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. Equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on WMT shares. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 price target (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Walmart from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Truist Financial set a $140.00 price target on Walmart in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.56.

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.