Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Sold by Covea Finance

Covea Finance reduced its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 582,980 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 12,500 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for 2.1% of Covea Finance’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Covea Finance’s holdings in Walmart were worth $60,082,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.23, for a total transaction of $244,706.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 617,318 shares in the company, valued at $68,664,281.14. This represents a 0.36% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.78, for a total transaction of $1,414,612.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 892,940 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $96,241,073.20. This trade represents a 1.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 108,412 shares of company stock worth $11,741,699. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on WMT shares. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. UBS Group set a $130.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Thirty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $120.69.

Walmart Stock Up 0.1%

Walmart stock opened at $111.74 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.24. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $79.81 and a fifty-two week high of $117.45. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $108.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $102.53. The firm has a market cap of $890.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.07, a P/E/G ratio of 5.15 and a beta of 0.64.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $179.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $175.15 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.58 earnings per share. The firm’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. As a group, analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share 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.