Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. Cuts Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) by 1.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 48,702 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 797 shares during the period. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $4,762,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Access Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Operose Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 319.7% in the 1st quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. PFS Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 267.8% in the 2nd quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 320 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the period. Ridgewood Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 55.3% during the second quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 323 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 432.4% during the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 362 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.63, for a total value of $406,520.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,040,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $105,741,441.65. This represents a 0.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.18, for a total transaction of $2,081,006.88. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,354,162 shares in the company, valued at approximately $466,679,083.16. This trade represents a 0.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 137,888 shares of company stock valued at $14,241,903. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company set a $120.00 price target on Walmart and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 target price (up previously from $115.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, November 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Walmart from $101.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $122.00 price objective (up previously from $118.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday. Thirty-one analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $118.55.

Walmart Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of WMT stock opened at $105.29 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $839.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.58, a PEG ratio of 4.83 and a beta of 0.67. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $103.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $99.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $79.81 and a 52 week high of $109.57.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.45% and a net margin of 3.08%.The business had revenue of $179.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $175.15 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.58 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. Analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Profile

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, other units, and eCommerce worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club. It operates supercenters, supermarkets, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs, cash and carry stores, and discount stores under Walmart and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands; membership-only warehouse clubs; ecommerce websites, such as walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, PhonePe and other sites; and mobile commerce applications.