First Trust Advisors LP Sells 114,469 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

First Trust Advisors LP lowered its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 3.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,797,281 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 114,469 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Walmart were worth $347,646,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Walmart in the first quarter worth about $29,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC boosted its position 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 valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the period. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 193.0% during the fourth quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 193 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total transaction of $413,891.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 630,009 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $69,074,186.76. This represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.63, for a total value of $2,303,320.08. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,174,579 shares in the company, valued at approximately $495,230,306.77. This represents a 0.46% 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 sold 87,145 shares of company stock worth $10,691,920. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

Walmart stock opened at $110.39 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. The company has a market capitalization of $878.49 billion, a PE ratio of 38.73, a P/E/G ratio of 4.18 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $118.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $122.11. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $95.29 and a fifty-two week 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 (EPS) 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 return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.Walmart’s revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.61 earnings per share. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on WMT. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 18th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 target price (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane decreased their target price on Walmart from $147.00 to $146.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.85.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is still attracting new brands to its platform, with candy maker Final Boss Sour raising funding and securing shelf space at the retailer. That supports Walmart’s marketplace growth strategy and could help improve traffic and monetization over time. Walmart (WMT) Faces A Fresh Valuation Test As New Brands Join Its Platform
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted a rebound in Walmart’s general merchandise business, including fashion, hardlines, private brands, and marketplace growth, which could lift margins if the trend continues. Can Walmart’s General Merchandise Revival Unlock Higher Margins?
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart was mentioned in broader ecommerce-stock watch lists, which is not a direct catalyst but suggests continued investor attention on the retail and online commerce space. Top Ecommerce Stocks To Watch Now – July 18th
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market headlines about renewed U.S.-Iran tensions and potential energy-price pressure may be weighing on consumer sentiment and creating a modest headwind for Walmart’s near-term trading. As the U.S.-Iran war heats up again, these parts of the stock market and economy could be affected
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart pulled certain lettuce items amid cyclosporiasis-linked recalls, which can create short-term reputational and operational concerns for the grocer. Walmart pulls lettuce items amid cyclosporiasis-linked recalls
• Negative Sentiment: The stock also faces valuation pressure, with recent commentary noting that Walmart’s share performance has lagged and that investors are reassessing how much growth is already priced in. Walmart (WMT) Faces A Fresh Valuation Test As New Brands Join Its Platform

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.