MQS Management LLC Acquires New Shares in Walmart Inc. $WMT

MQS Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 5,642 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $701,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 2.9% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 2,416,580 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $300,333,000 after buying an additional 68,632 shares during the period. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA boosted its position in Walmart by 253.3% in the 1st quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA now owns 384,034 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $47,728,000 after purchasing an additional 275,337 shares in the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 42.1% during the 4th quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 275,341 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $30,676,000 after purchasing an additional 81,635 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,010,886 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $104,182,000 after purchasing an additional 28,026 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $40,855,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WMT. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. Truist Financial set a $140.00 target price on Walmart in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Freedom Capital upgraded Walmart from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price objective on Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.85.

Walmart Stock Up 2.8%

WMT opened at $111.84 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $890.03 billion, a PE ratio of 39.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.06 and a beta of 0.60. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $94.23 and a twelve month high of $135.15. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $122.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $122.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.61 EPS. Walmart’s revenue 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. Sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.19, for a total transaction of $342,751.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 574,953 shares in the company, valued at approximately $67,953,695.07. The trade was a 0.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.63, for a total transaction of $2,303,320.08. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,174,579 shares in the company, valued at approximately $495,230,306.77. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 104,505 shares of company stock valued at $12,858,514. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity showed strong bullish interest, with traders buying 172,007 WMT call options, well above the normal daily level, suggesting some investors are positioning for a rebound.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentators highlighted Walmart Connect as a growing margin driver, supported by ad growth, marketplace expansion, seller spending, and e-commerce gains.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s push into agentic shopping with Google’s Gemini and broader AI-enabled commerce is being viewed as a potential long-term catalyst for sales and ecosystem growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart and Flipkart are preparing to expand quick-commerce capabilities in India, which could strengthen Walmart’s international digital growth story. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart was mentioned in coverage of Medicare obesity-drug coverage, where the company is helping seniors navigate benefits; this is supportive of its health-services positioning but is not a major near-term earnings driver. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Research notes and trading commentary said U.S. comparable sales may be slowing, with investors worried Walmart has leaned on price cuts and tariff refunds to manage inventory, potentially pressuring margins. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Shares also came under pressure after reports highlighted slowing domestic sales growth and a near eight-month low, reinforcing concerns about near-term fundamental momentum. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares in a pre-arranged 10b5-1 transaction, which is typically routine but can still add a small amount of selling pressure sentiment-wise.

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.