William Blair Investment Management LLC Sells 121,721 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

William Blair Investment Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 38.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 197,209 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 121,721 shares during the quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $21,971,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 188.1% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,199,907,000 after purchasing an additional 7,614,172 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Walmart by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $49,015,626,000 after purchasing an additional 4,304,436 shares during the last quarter. Amundi raised its holdings in Walmart by 20.5% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 23,497,921 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,413,236,000 after purchasing an additional 4,004,277 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth about $294,621,000. Finally, Axxcess Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 1,061.8% during the 4th quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,042,724 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $338,989,000 after purchasing an additional 2,780,817 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock opened at $120.27 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $958.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.20, a PEG ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.65. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $93.43 and a 1 year high of $135.15. The business has a 50-day moving average of $126.67 and a 200-day moving average of $120.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.66. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The company 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 earned $0.61 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart posted strong first-quarter revenue of $177.8 billion, up 7.3% year over year, with global e-commerce sales jumping 26% and advertising growing 37%, reinforcing the company’s growth beyond traditional retail. Walmart Stock Fell After Its Earnings Beat. Is the Post-Earnings Dip a Buying Opportunity?
• Positive Sentiment: UBS said its long-term view on Walmart’s higher-margin “second P&L” remains intact, highlighting advertising, marketplace fees, and membership income as key growth drivers. Walmart price target lowered by UBS as Q1 results miss elevated expectations
• Positive Sentiment: Higher gasoline prices could support Walmart’s value-focused traffic, as consumers tend to trade down to low-price retailers when inflation and fuel costs rise. Walmart CEO issues blunt message on rising fuel prices
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS lowered its price target to $141 from $147 after the quarter, but still kept a constructive longer-term stance, suggesting the report was good but not enough to justify prior elevated expectations. Walmart price target lowered by UBS as Q1 results miss elevated expectations
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary largely focused on whether Walmart’s strong e-commerce and membership growth can keep offsetting a more cautious consumer backdrop. Walmart’s Q1 Sales Jump 7.3%: Can E-commerce Sustain 26% Growth?
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart’s cautious second-quarter guidance and pressure from rising fuel costs were cited as a reason the stock sold off after earnings, despite the upbeat revenue results. Walmart Stock Fell After Its Earnings Beat. Is the Post-Earnings Dip a Buying Opportunity?
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley also turned more cautious on Walmart amid high inflation, reinforcing concerns that margins and near-term upside may be limited after the recent run-up. Morgan Stanley resets Walmart forecast on high inflation
• Negative Sentiment: Reports of senior executive departures after John Furner’s arrival added a small layer of leadership uncertainty, though this appears less important than the earnings and outlook issues. Walmart Sees Executives Depart Following New CEO’s Arrival

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.21, for a total value of $2,566,989.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,193,995 shares in the company, valued at approximately $554,488,078.95. The trade was a 0.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,335 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.63, for a total value of $166,381.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 636,843 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $79,369,743.09. This represents a 0.21% 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. Insiders sold 126,008 shares of company stock worth $15,896,715 in the last three months. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on WMT. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and set a $147.00 target price (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $150.00 target price for the company. HSBC lowered Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $122.00 to $131.00 in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $138.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.71.

Walmart Company 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.