Commerce Bank Invests $139.39 Million in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Commerce Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm acquired 1,230,691 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $139,388,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 28.8% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,868,000 after buying an additional 21,939 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $800,000 after buying an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Wealth Management increased its holdings in Walmart by 3.5% during the first quarter. Peterson Wealth Management now owns 50,307 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,416,000 after buying an additional 1,715 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Walmart by 0.9% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 13,008 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,272,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the period. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its position in Walmart by 1.2% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 91,341 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,931,000 after acquiring an additional 1,048 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to project upside for WMT, with reports citing consensus price targets of $138.50 and $128.43—well above recent trading levels. Large call-option purchases also suggest some traders are positioning for a rebound. Walmart consensus price target Walmart call options activity
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s digital sales, automation and AI initiatives remain key parts of the growth story. Its Sparky shopping assistant has reportedly produced customer baskets about 40% larger than those of customers shopping without the tool, while Walmart is also exploring advertising and technology opportunities with OpenAI and ChatGPT. Walmart Sparky AI assistant
• Positive Sentiment: The new Scenario women’s fashion brand, with most items priced below $25, could help Walmart attract younger shoppers and expand its apparel business. The company is also increasing rapid-delivery capabilities through Flipkart in India. Walmart launches Scenario fashion brand
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are comparing Walmart’s digital and business-mix expansion with MercadoLibre’s broader ecosystem growth, highlighting Walmart’s improving online opportunity but also the high expectations embedded in its valuation. Walmart versus MercadoLibre growth comparison
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart’s U.S. comparable sales rose 2.6%, below the 3.8% analyst estimate and representing the company’s slowest comparable-sales growth in roughly six years. Higher gasoline prices and broader economic pressure may be making consumers more cautious. Walmart comparable-sales miss
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains a concern after Walmart’s substantial five-year gain. Analysts note that the stock trades at a premium relative to peers despite slower store-sales momentum, while Amazon continues to take share of U.S. clothing spending from Walmart. Walmart valuation concerns Amazon clothing share versus Walmart

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total value of $413,891.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 630,009 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $69,074,186.76. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing 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 David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total transaction of $1,435,203.96. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 125,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,985,527.94. This represents 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. Insiders sold 26,648 shares of company stock worth $3,085,798 in the last three months. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Walmart from $147.00 to $132.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 21st. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Walmart from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $131.88.

Walmart Price Performance

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $104.34 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $112.47 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $120.78. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $95.60 and a 52 week high of $135.15. The stock has a market cap of $830.35 billion, a PE ratio of 37.67, a P/E/G ratio of 4.00 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.83% and a net margin of 3.00%.The firm had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $186.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.68 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.