Trust Co. of Vermont Acquires Shares of 159,275 Walmart Inc. $WMT

Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 159,275 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $18,039,000.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WMT. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 57.4% in the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Sankala Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT stock opened at $103.70 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $825.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.44, a P/E/G ratio of 3.94 and a beta of 0.61. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $113.35 and its 200 day moving average is $121.26. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $95.42 and a 52 week high of $135.15. 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 (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a net margin of 3.00% and a return on equity of 21.83%. The business had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $186.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.68 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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. Research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total value of $1,308,670.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president 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 David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total value of $1,435,203.96. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 125,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,985,527.94. This represents a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 57,064 shares of company stock valued at $6,697,788. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on WMT shares. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $126.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday. Citigroup reduced their target price on Walmart from $147.00 to $132.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded Walmart to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Gordon Haskett lowered Walmart from a “buy” rating to an “accumulate” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, BTIG Research reduced their price objective on Walmart from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $131.88.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart reported adjusted earnings of $0.81 per share and revenue of $187.94 billion, beating consensus estimates of $0.74 and $186.62 billion, respectively. Revenue increased 5.9% year over year. Walmart earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Growth businesses remain strong: global e-commerce sales rose 23%, advertising revenue increased 38%, and global membership revenue grew 17%. These trends support the long-term investment case despite slower core-store growth. Walmart second-quarter highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart plans to use approximately $2.9 billion in tariff refunds to help lower prices, potentially strengthening its value proposition as consumers become more budget-conscious. The rollout of tap-to-pay, including Apple Pay and Google Pay, may also improve checkout convenience. Walmart tap to pay rollout
• Neutral Sentiment: Several analysts retained bullish ratings—including buy, outperform, and overweight—but lowered price targets after the earnings release. New targets range from $120 to $140, indicating analysts still see meaningful upside but have moderated their expectations.
• Negative Sentiment: U.S. comparable sales grew 2.6%, below expectations near 3.5%, marking Walmart’s weakest domestic comparable-sales growth in more than six years. Analysts cited weakness in health and wellness and questioned the trajectory of the core U.S. business.
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter guidance fell short of consensus: Walmart projected adjusted EPS of $0.62–$0.64 versus $0.68 expected and revenue of $183.1–$184.5 billion versus $188.2 billion expected. The timing of Flipkart’s promotional event is also expected to reduce quarterly sales growth by more than 100 basis points.
• Negative Sentiment: The stock’s elevated valuation increases sensitivity to any slowdown, while higher energy costs and consumer trade-offs are raising broader concerns about the health of U.S. retail spending.

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.