Fifth Third Bancorp Trims Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Fifth Third Bancorp lessened its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 3,647,232 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 74,666 shares during the period. Walmart comprises 0.7% of Fifth Third Bancorp’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Fifth Third Bancorp’s holdings in Walmart were worth $413,085,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 28.8% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,868,000 after purchasing an additional 21,939 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $800,000 after buying an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.5% in the first quarter. Peterson Wealth Management now owns 50,307 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,416,000 after buying an additional 1,715 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.9% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 13,008 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,272,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the period. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 91,341 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,931,000 after acquiring an additional 1,048 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

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

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.08, for a total transaction of $1,628,550.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 661,037 shares in the company, valued at $82,021,470.96. This represents a 1.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total transaction of $413,891.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 630,009 shares in the company, valued at $69,074,186.76. This trade represents a 0.60% 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. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 70,189 shares of company stock valued at $8,377,320. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $142.00 price objective on Walmart and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Walmart from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $135.00 price target (down from $137.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.50.

Walmart Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $114.33 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $114.23 and its 200 day moving average is $121.53. The stock has a market cap of $909.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.30 and a beta of 0.61. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $95.42 and a 52-week high of $135.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The business had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.61 EPS. Walmart’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. Sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 EPS for the current year.

About Walmart

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.