United Capital Financial Advisors LLC Invests $35.36 Million in Walmart Inc. $WMT

United Capital Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund bought 312,237 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $35,364,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. MFA Wealth Services boosted its position in Walmart by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. MFA Wealth Services now owns 10,909 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,356,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Realta Investment Advisors grew its stake in Walmart by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Realta Investment Advisors now owns 4,089 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $508,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Compton Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 4.1% during the first quarter. Compton Financial Group LLC now owns 2,081 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $259,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the period. Renaissance Group LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Renaissance Group LLC now owns 9,636 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,074,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the period. Finally, Calton & Associates Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Calton & Associates Inc. now owns 27,220 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,033,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,710 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.10, for a total transaction of $419,601.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 626,299 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $70,834,416.90. This represents a 0.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.35, for a total transaction of $5,335,345.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 201,672 shares in the company, valued at $21,246,145.20. This represents a 20.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold 77,292 shares of company stock worth $8,421,143 in the last three months. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s fiscal second-quarter results showed continued momentum beyond traditional store sales: revenue reached approximately $187.9 billion, global e-commerce grew 23%, and advertising revenue increased 38%. These higher-growth businesses could support future margins and cash flow. Walmart Growth Engine Hums
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentary continue to point to Walmart’s expanding e-commerce, digital advertising, memberships, convenience-led fulfillment, automation and AI initiatives as reasons the recent decline could represent a long-term buying opportunity. Walmart’s scale and value-focused pricing remain important competitive advantages. Walmart Continues to Grow Beyond Retail
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart settled a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit alleging that its pharmacies unlawfully contributed to the opioid epidemic. Resolving the case removes an overhang and reduces legal uncertainty, although the financial terms and any broader implications remain important for investors. Walmart Settles U.S. Opioid Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights a potentially tougher consumer environment. Walmart’s comparable sales growth was 3.4% excluding pharmacy-related items, while middle-income shoppers appear increasingly focused on necessities and limiting discretionary purchases. Walmart and Home Depot Results
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are also questioning whether Walmart’s valuation adequately reflects its strong performance. A high earnings multiple, slower core sales growth and the stock’s position below its moving averages have amplified the impact of the recent selloff. Walmart Selloff Analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Executive Vice President Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares worth approximately $5.3 million. The sale was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan to cover taxes on vested equity awards, making it a weaker bearish signal than discretionary insider selling. Walmart Insider Trading Filing

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock opened at $103.09 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The firm has a market cap of $820.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.22, a P/E/G ratio of 3.92 and a beta of 0.61. The business has a fifty day moving average of $111.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $120.39. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $95.79 and a twelve month high of $135.15.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Mizuho set a $130.00 price target on Walmart in a report on Monday, July 27th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 price objective (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, DA Davidson set a $132.00 price target on Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $131.88.

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.