Clearstead Advisors LLC Increases Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Clearstead Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 416,092 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 7,193 shares during the period. Clearstead Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $46,357,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $120.27 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $958.67 billion, a PE ratio of 42.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.65. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $93.43 and a 52-week high of $135.15. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $126.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $120.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.66. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $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. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Walmart News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart posted solid first-quarter results, with revenue of $177.8 billion and EPS of $0.66, while e-commerce sales rose 26% and advertising revenue jumped 37%, highlighting continued strength in digital and membership-driven businesses.
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts remained constructive after earnings: Bank of America reiterated a Buy rating and said Walmart is well positioned to gain share in a price-sensitive environment, while BTIG and BNP Paribas Exane also kept positive ratings despite modestly trimming price targets.
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart disclosed pre-arranged insider sales by CEO John Furner and EVP Christopher James Nicholas, but both transactions were made under 10b5-1 plans, which typically limits how much investors read into them.
• Neutral Sentiment: News reports also noted leadership changes, including the departure of Sam’s Club COO Tom Ward and U.S. stores EVP Cedric Clark, adding some uncertainty but not appearing to change the company’s near-term operating outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Shares weakened after Walmart issued second-quarter EPS guidance below consensus and reaffirmed full-year targets that also came in below Wall Street expectations, prompting concerns that margin pressure could continue.
• Negative Sentiment: Management said elevated fuel prices are pressuring both consumers and Walmart’s own costs, reinforcing worries that spending could soften and profitability could stay under pressure in the coming quarters.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.96, for a total transaction of $1,600,725.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 687,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $83,821,522.52. The trade was a 1.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.21, for a total value of $2,566,989.36. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,193,995 shares in the company, valued at $554,488,078.95. The trade was a 0.46% decrease in their position. 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 a total of 126,008 shares of company stock worth $15,896,715 in the last three months. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 target price (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 target price on Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. DA Davidson set a $150.00 target price on Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Erste Group Bank raised Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Finally, Tigress Financial set a $150.00 target price on Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.71.

Walmart 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.