Walmart Inc. $WMT Stock Acquired by Verdence Capital Advisors LLC

Verdence Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 26.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 48,803 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,359 shares during the period. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $5,072,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Montgomery Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Turim 21 Investimentos Ltda. bought a new position in Walmart in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. PMV Capital Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Pingora Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Holiday event could support near-term sales. Walmart announced three major holiday shopping events, giving investors a potential catalyst for stronger seasonal traffic, e-commerce activity and market-share gains. The upbeat outlook is particularly important because WMT’s valuation already reflects substantial future growth. Walmart Just Announced Its Triple Holiday Event
• Positive Sentiment: AI and e-commerce initiatives could expand digital growth. Walmart is joining Meta’s AI-commerce push and is developing agent-based shopping tools intended to improve product discovery, personalization and customer engagement. Analysts also see continued e-commerce momentum as a driver of longer-term growth. Can Walmart’s AI Strategy Unlock the Next Phase of Digital Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: New services broaden Walmart’s ecosystem. Lower-cost delivery partnerships with Subway, Dunkin’ and Papa John’s, expanded Better Care Services, and an exclusive Affirm buy-now-pay-later arrangement at Sam’s Club could increase customer convenience, engagement and recurring transaction opportunities ahead of the holidays. Walmart Makes Sam’s Club Its Exclusive Buy Now Pay Later Checkout Option
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading data offers limited directional information. A report lists short interest at zero shares and a zero-day days-to-cover ratio, which may indicate a data-quality issue rather than a meaningful change in investor positioning. Walmart also lined up U.S. and Canadian debt issuance, potentially supporting funding needs but increasing leverage.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and investor selling are key risks. WMT’s reported P/E near 42 and PEG ratio above 4 leave limited room for execution disappointments. Michael Burry said he may sell, reduce or donate long-held positions whose valuations appear stretched, potentially adding sentiment pressure. Michael Burry Eyes the Exit on Walmart

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on WMT. Mizuho cut their target price on Walmart from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Weiss Ratings lowered Walmart from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 price objective (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, August 21st. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $128.00 price objective (down from $137.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Walmart to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-three have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $132.41.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT opened at $120.29 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $954.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.33 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $98.88 and a 1-year high of $135.15. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $109.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $118.25.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.83% and a net margin of 3.00%. The company had revenue of $187.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $186.64 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.68 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. Research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.35, for a total value of $5,335,345.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 201,672 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,246,145.20. The trade was a 20.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal 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. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, EVP Christopher Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.60, for a total transaction of $349,740.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 563,353 shares in the company, valued at approximately $67,940,371.80. This trade represents a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 102,244 shares of company stock valued at $11,112,044. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Walmart Profile

Walmart Inc (NASDAQ:WMT) operates a global retail business through a network of supercenters, supermarkets, discount stores, neighborhood markets, warehouse clubs and e-commerce platforms. Its stores and websites sell a broad assortment of merchandise, including groceries, consumables, health and wellness products, apparel, electronics, home goods, toys and other general merchandise.

The company organizes its operations into Walmart U.S., Walmart International and Sam’s Club U.S. Walmart U.S.