Waverly Advisors LLC Has $48.01 Million Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Waverly Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 423,914 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 23,457 shares during the period. Waverly Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $48,012,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bell & Brown Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 2nd quarter worth about $6,451,000. Advisortrust Partners LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 20.2% during the first quarter. Advisortrust Partners LLC now owns 67,142 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,344,000 after purchasing an additional 11,283 shares during the period. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA increased its holdings in Walmart by 253.3% in the first 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. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 2.9% in 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. Finally, Vise Technologies Inc. lifted its stake in Walmart by 42.1% in the fourth quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 275,341 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $30,676,000 after buying an additional 81,635 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: AI positioning could support long-term growth. TD Cowen identified Walmart as one of the retailers best positioned to benefit from artificial intelligence, including more personalized shopping, improved inventory management and greater operating efficiency. Walmart, Ulta and Other Retailers That Can Win With AI
• Positive Sentiment: Opioid settlement removes a major legal overhang. Walmart agreed to pay $50 million to resolve a federal opioid case, substantially below the potential multibillion-dollar liability previously suggested by the Justice Department. The relatively modest settlement limits financial damage, although compliance and reputational concerns remain. Walmart Settles a Potential Multibillion-Dollar Opioid Case for $50 Million
• Positive Sentiment: Advertising is improving Walmart’s profit mix. The company’s expanding advertising business is generating higher-margin revenue as digital sales grow, potentially supporting earnings and profitability over time. Walmart’s Ad Business Expands: Can High-Margin Growth Lift Profits?
• Neutral Sentiment: Defensive appeal may attract investors before CPI and the Fed decision. Walmart is being highlighted alongside other defensive companies as a relatively stable retailer during macroeconomic uncertainty. However, interest-rate expectations and inflation data could influence the broader market more than company-specific news. 5 Defensive Stocks to Watch as CPI and the Fed Put the Rally to the Test
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary remains favorable but highlights relative underperformance. Jim Cramer said he would buy Walmart after its recent weakness, while noting that Target’s turnaround has attracted more attention. The comments may support sentiment but do not change Walmart’s earnings outlook. Jim Cramer Says Buy Walmart as Target’s Turnaround Gains Momentum
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term profit growth could face pressure. While advertising is a promising high-margin growth engine, expected Vibe-related costs may weigh on fiscal 2027 earnings growth. Walmart’s premium valuation makes such cost pressure a potential stock headwind. Walmart’s Ad Business Expands: Can High-Margin Growth Lift Profits?

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Daniel Bartlett sold 3,950 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.14, for a total value of $415,303.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 622,349 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $65,433,773.86. The trade was a 0.63% decrease in their position. The sale 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 Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares of the 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 201,672 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,246,145.20. The trade was a 20.07% 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. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 81,242 shares of company stock valued at $8,836,446. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on WMT. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $130.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Freedom Capital upgraded Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $126.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. DA Davidson set a $132.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Evercore set a $125.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $131.88.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock traded down $1.09 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $106.05. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 22,633,471 shares, compared to its average volume of 25,673,854. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The company has a market cap of $841.37 billion, a PE ratio of 38.29, a P/E/G ratio of 4.09 and a beta of 0.59. The business has a fifty day moving average of $110.51 and a 200-day moving average of $119.22. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $98.88 and a 52 week high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 EPS 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 business had revenue of $187.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $186.64 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.68 earnings per share. Walmart’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, research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Profile

Walmart Inc is a multinational retail and technology company that operates supercenters, discount stores, neighborhood markets, e-commerce platforms and membership warehouse clubs. Its merchandise includes groceries, apparel, electronics, home goods, health and beauty products, general merchandise and other consumer products.

Founded by Sam Walton in 1962 and incorporated in 1969, Walmart is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas. The company serves customers through operations in the United States and international markets, including Mexico, Canada, China, India and several countries in Central America and Africa.