Palisade Capital Management LP Purchases New Shares in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Palisade Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 23,663 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $2,680,000.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 57.4% during the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Sankala Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s fiscal second-quarter results showed continued momentum beyond traditional store sales: revenue reached approximately $187.9 billion, global e-commerce grew 23%, and advertising revenue increased 38%. These higher-growth businesses could support future margins and cash flow. Walmart Growth Engine Hums
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentary continue to point to Walmart’s expanding e-commerce, digital advertising, memberships, convenience-led fulfillment, automation and AI initiatives as reasons the recent decline could represent a long-term buying opportunity. Walmart’s scale and value-focused pricing remain important competitive advantages. Walmart Continues to Grow Beyond Retail
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart settled a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit alleging that its pharmacies unlawfully contributed to the opioid epidemic. Resolving the case removes an overhang and reduces legal uncertainty, although the financial terms and any broader implications remain important for investors. Walmart Settles U.S. Opioid Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights a potentially tougher consumer environment. Walmart’s comparable sales growth was 3.4% excluding pharmacy-related items, while middle-income shoppers appear increasingly focused on necessities and limiting discretionary purchases. Walmart and Home Depot Results
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are also questioning whether Walmart’s valuation adequately reflects its strong performance. A high earnings multiple, slower core sales growth and the stock’s position below its moving averages have amplified the impact of the recent selloff. Walmart Selloff Analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Executive Vice President Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares worth approximately $5.3 million. The sale was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan to cover taxes on vested equity awards, making it a weaker bearish signal than discretionary insider selling. Walmart Insider Trading Filing

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Walmart from $140.00 to $120.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 21st. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $128.00 target price (down from $137.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Truist Financial set a $114.00 price target on shares of Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. DA Davidson set a $132.00 price objective on Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 target price (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $131.88.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total transaction of $1,435,203.96. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 125,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,985,527.94. This represents a 8.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $106.34, for a total transaction of $308,386.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 569,153 shares in the company, valued at $60,523,730.02. This represents a 0.51% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 77,292 shares of company stock worth $8,421,143 over the last quarter. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Trading Up 0.4%

WMT opened at $103.09 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $820.40 billion, a PE ratio of 37.22, a P/E/G ratio of 3.90 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $95.79 and a one year high of $135.15. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $111.90 and its 200 day moving average price is $120.45.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.83% and a net margin of 3.00%.The firm had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $186.64 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.68 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 EPS for the current 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.