United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund Acquires 39,274 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund grew its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 10.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 417,265 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 39,274 shares during the period. United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund’s holdings in Walmart were worth $47,259,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. MFA Wealth Services raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. MFA Wealth Services now owns 10,909 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,356,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Realta Investment Advisors boosted its stake in Walmart by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Realta Investment Advisors now owns 4,089 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $508,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Compton Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Compton Financial Group LLC now owns 2,081 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $259,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Group LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Renaissance Group LLC now owns 9,636 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,074,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Calton & Associates Inc. grew its holdings in Walmart by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Calton & Associates Inc. now owns 27,220 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,033,000 after buying an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $114.30 on Thursday. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $95.42 and a 12-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 0.42. The company has a market cap of $909.61 billion, a PE ratio of 40.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 0.61. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $114.03 and a 200-day moving average price of $121.49.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.66. The company had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.61 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on WMT. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Walmart from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 price objective (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 11th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $142.00 target price on shares of Walmart and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.50.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart enters the report with a strong earnings track record, having exceeded revenue expectations for 25 consecutive quarters. Analysts also see potential for another earnings beat, supported by e-commerce momentum and a growing contribution from Walmart Connect advertising. Walmart Q2 Preview
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s grocery leadership, expanding online business and higher-margin retail-media operations remain important long-term strengths. Advertising growth could help offset the cost of competitive pricing and faster delivery. DA Davidson also reiterated a Buy rating. Retail stagnates, ad dollars help Walmart stay the course
• Neutral Sentiment: Options traders expect a significant post-earnings move, highlighting elevated volatility and the possibility that results or guidance could materially change the stock’s near-term direction. Barchart data ahead of Walmart earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Thousands of price reductions may support customer traffic but could slow sales growth and pressure profit margins. Same-store sales momentum has moderated, increasing investor dependence on advertising and other higher-margin businesses. Walmart sales growth expected to slow
• Negative Sentiment: Several previews characterize WMT as expensive ahead of earnings, with a price-to-earnings ratio near 40 and a cautious outlook already weighing on sentiment. Investors may require a clear earnings or guidance upside to justify the valuation. Walmart valuation concern ahead of Q2 earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart’s grocery advantage faces a margin test as shoppers increasingly purchase additional goods from Amazon, while elevated costs and cautious consumers could limit profitability. Walmart grocery margin test

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total transaction of $1,308,670.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 120,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,300,550.91. The trade was a 8.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,710 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 626,299 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $70,834,416.90. This trade represents a 0.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 54,164 shares of company stock valued at $6,389,402 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

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.