Monarch Capital Management Inc. Lowers Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Monarch Capital Management Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 6.5% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 117,777 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 8,158 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises 3.6% of Monarch Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Monarch Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $14,663,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Walmart by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $49,015,626,000 after buying an additional 4,304,436 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $19,046,104,000 after buying an additional 2,242,364 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $11,426,753,000 after acquiring an additional 6,517,394 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $6,458,529,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,626,852 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,526,238,000 after acquiring an additional 328,229 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart announced a nationwide effort with Sam’s Club to help Medicare beneficiaries understand new prescription drug coverage options tied to weight management and chronic care, reinforcing its healthcare and pharmacy services strategy.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is integrating Walmart Connect and Sam’s Club advertising operations into one framework, a move that signals continued growth and better monetization of its ad business.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary highlighted improving Walmart International sales, supported by store gains, e-commerce growth, marketplace expansion, and faster fulfillment, suggesting momentum in a key segment.
• Neutral Sentiment: EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares at an average price of $118.19 under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan; the sale was small relative to his holdings and is typically viewed as routine insider activity.
• Negative Sentiment: California consumers filed a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging Walmart and other retailers used an AI pricing tool to illegally raise gas prices, creating potential legal, regulatory, and reputational risk.
• Negative Sentiment: Reuters reported Walmart was among gas-station operators sued over allegations of AI-driven pump-price inflation in California, adding another legal headline that could pressure sentiment.
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart also faces scrutiny in China, where regulators ordered Sam’s Club to strengthen food-safety controls and supply-chain inspections, adding operational pressure in an important international market.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.92, for a total transaction of $359,368.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 577,853 shares in the company, valued at approximately $71,607,543.76. This represents a 0.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible 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 dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 125,067 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,985,527.94. The trade was a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 120,146 shares of company stock valued at $14,835,898 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on WMT. Craig Hallum set a $150.00 price target on Walmart in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 price objective (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, April 20th. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $150.00 target price for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.85.

Walmart Price Performance

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $117.18 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $124.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $122.15. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $94.23 and a 52-week high of $135.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. The company has a market cap of $932.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.12, a P/E/G ratio of 4.37 and a beta of 0.60.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.61 EPS. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

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.