19,878 Shares in Walmart Inc. $WMT Bought by Quantbot Technologies LP

Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 19,878 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $2,251,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Walmart in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 57.4% during the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Sankala Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Turim 21 Investimentos Ltda. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the first quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to project upside for WMT, with reports citing consensus price targets of $138.50 and $128.43—well above recent trading levels. Large call-option purchases also suggest some traders are positioning for a rebound. Walmart consensus price target Walmart call options activity
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s digital sales, automation and AI initiatives remain key parts of the growth story. Its Sparky shopping assistant has reportedly produced customer baskets about 40% larger than those of customers shopping without the tool, while Walmart is also exploring advertising and technology opportunities with OpenAI and ChatGPT. Walmart Sparky AI assistant
• Positive Sentiment: The new Scenario women’s fashion brand, with most items priced below $25, could help Walmart attract younger shoppers and expand its apparel business. The company is also increasing rapid-delivery capabilities through Flipkart in India. Walmart launches Scenario fashion brand
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are comparing Walmart’s digital and business-mix expansion with MercadoLibre’s broader ecosystem growth, highlighting Walmart’s improving online opportunity but also the high expectations embedded in its valuation. Walmart versus MercadoLibre growth comparison
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart’s U.S. comparable sales rose 2.6%, below the 3.8% analyst estimate and representing the company’s slowest comparable-sales growth in roughly six years. Higher gasoline prices and broader economic pressure may be making consumers more cautious. Walmart comparable-sales miss
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains a concern after Walmart’s substantial five-year gain. Analysts note that the stock trades at a premium relative to peers despite slower store-sales momentum, while Amazon continues to take share of U.S. clothing spending from Walmart. Walmart valuation concerns Amazon clothing share versus Walmart

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,710 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.10, for a total value of $419,601.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total value of $1,435,203.96. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 125,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,985,527.94. The trade was a 8.74% 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 ninety days, insiders have sold 26,648 shares of company stock valued at $3,085,798. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 target price (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Walmart from $147.00 to $132.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 21st. BNP Paribas Exane reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 price target (down from $146.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. BTIG Research decreased their price objective on Walmart from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Erste Group Bank downgraded Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $131.88.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $104.34 on Thursday. 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 company’s fifty day simple moving average is $112.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $120.78. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $95.60 and a 1-year high of $135.15. The company has a market cap of $830.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.67, a PEG ratio of 4.00 and a beta of 0.61.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a net margin of 3.00% and a return on equity of 21.83%. The firm had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $186.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.68 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Company 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.