Kranot Hishtalmut Le Morim Tichoniim Havera Menahelet LTD Buys Shares of 41,481 Walmart Inc. $WMT

Kranot Hishtalmut Le Morim Tichoniim Havera Menahelet LTD purchased a new position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor purchased 41,481 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $4,698,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 1st quarter worth $29,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 57.4% during the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Sankala Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 120,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,300,550.91. This trade represents a 8.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.08, for a total transaction of $1,628,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 661,037 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $82,021,470.96. This trade represents a 1.95% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 70,189 shares of company stock worth $8,377,320. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Down 0.8%

WMT opened at $114.33 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $95.42 and a 12 month high of $135.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $909.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.12, a P/E/G ratio of 4.30 and a beta of 0.61. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $114.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $121.53.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The business had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.84 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.61 EPS. The company’s revenue 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. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on WMT shares. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $142.00 price objective on Walmart and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Walmart from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.50.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: DA Davidson reaffirmed its Buy rating and set a $150 price target, implying substantial upside from recent trading levels. The bullish view supports the stock by pointing to Walmart’s defensive business model and continued customer traffic. Benzinga analyst rating report
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts say Walmart has not yet seen a major change in shopping behavior despite gasoline prices rising above $4 per gallon. The retailer is also gaining share among higher-income customers, which could help offset pressure on lower-income households. TheStreet gas price and Walmart shoppers article
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart leads a closely watched retail earnings week. Its results, along with reports from Target, Home Depot and Lowe’s, are expected to provide fresh evidence about consumer health, promotional activity and the effects of inflation and fuel costs. Yahoo Finance consumer landscape preview
• Negative Sentiment: Investor expectations appear cautious ahead of earnings. Oppenheimer downgraded Walmart to Perform and reportedly expects U.S. comparable sales growth of about 3%, below the roughly 3.8% consensus, with slower General Merchandise and Health & Wellness growth. Seeking Alpha Walmart earnings preview
• Negative Sentiment: Higher fuel prices could eventually squeeze discretionary spending among Walmart’s lower-income customers. Analysts also cite cautious guidance, elevated costs and a demanding valuation as reasons the stock may remain vulnerable if quarterly results or the outlook disappoint. Walmart’s previously reaffirmed fiscal 2027 guidance calls for 3.5%–4.5% net sales growth and adjusted EPS of $2.75–$2.85, rather than an upgrade. Seeking Alpha Walmart earnings setup

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.