Bank of America Corp DE Decreases Stock Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Bank of America Corp DE cut its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 4.8% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 65,844,247 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 3,355,984 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE’s holdings in Walmart were worth $8,183,123,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the first quarter worth $29,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 57.4% during the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 193.0% in the fourth quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sankala Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total value of $1,308,670.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 120,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,300,550.91. This represents a 8.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total transaction of $1,435,203.96. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 125,067 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,985,527.94. The trade was a 8.74% 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 90 days, insiders have sold 67,729 shares of company stock worth $8,124,931. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walmart Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of WMT stock opened at $114.22 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $95.42 and a twelve month high of $135.15. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $115.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $122.03. The stock has a market cap of $908.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.08, a PEG ratio of 4.22 and a beta of 0.60.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released 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 net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.84 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.61 earnings per share. 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. As a group, equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Tigress Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $155.00 target price (up from $150.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Mizuho set a $130.00 price target on Walmart in a research report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.65.

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.