Walmart Inc. $WMT Stake Boosted by Gradient Investments LLC

Gradient Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 6.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 420,697 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 23,995 shares during the period. Gradient Investments LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $43,357,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Access Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. PFS Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 267.8% during the 2nd quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 320 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 55.3% in the second quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 323 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Livelsberger Financial Advisory acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the second quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Harbor Asset Planning Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart during the second quarter worth about $46,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.23, for a total transaction of $244,706.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 617,318 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $68,664,281.14. The trade was a 0.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,040,455 shares in the company, valued at $105,741,441.65. This represents a 0.38% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 126,403 shares of company stock worth $13,386,774. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Trading Down 1.2%

NASDAQ WMT opened at $115.42 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $106.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $101.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.80. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $79.81 and a twelve month high of $117.45. The stock has a market cap of $919.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.36, a PEG ratio of 5.40 and a beta of 0.64.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.31% and a net margin of 3.26%.The company had revenue of $179.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $175.15 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.58 earnings per share. 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. Equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WMT. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $125.00 price objective (up previously from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, November 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $101.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $122.00 price target (up previously from $118.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, November 21st. Bank of America increased their price objective on Walmart from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Walmart from $110.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Thirty-one equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $119.71.

About Walmart

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.