Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Purchased by Captrust Financial Advisors

Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 2.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,170,601 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 23,131 shares during the quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors’ holdings in Walmart were worth $130,417,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Fox Run Management L.L.C. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the third quarter valued at $1,709,000. Vise Technologies Inc. grew its position in Walmart by 42.1% during 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. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in Walmart by 2.9% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,010,886 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $104,182,000 after buying an additional 28,026 shares during the period. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd acquired a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $40,855,000. Finally, Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners grew its position in Walmart by 466.6% during the third quarter. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners now owns 13,343 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,375,000 after buying an additional 10,988 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s advertising business is reportedly surging as marketplace activity, seller spending, and digital engagement boost retail media revenue, reinforcing a fast-growing higher-margin profit stream. Walmart’s Advertising Revenues Soar: Is Retail Media Paying Off?
• Positive Sentiment: New delivery options, including Subway meals through Walmart delivery, suggest the company is continuing to expand convenience offerings and deepen customer engagement. Walmart Inc (WMT) Adds Subway Meals Delivery. Get the Bigger Picture
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart was highlighted among the best S&P 500 stocks to buy now according to analysts, signaling continued confidence in its defensive business model and growth profile. Walmart (WMT) – Among the 14 Best S&P 500 Stocks to Buy Now According to Analysts
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly earnings season coverage showed Walmart outperforming many large-format grocery and general merchandise peers, reinforcing relative strength versus competitors. Q1 Earnings Outperformers: Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) And The Rest of the Large-format Grocery & General Merchandise Retailer Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles debated whether Walmart’s recent rally is fully justified and whether the stock’s party is over, but these pieces were more commentary than a direct business catalyst. Walmart (WMT) Stock After Recent Retail Sentiment Shifts Is The Rally Justified
• Neutral Sentiment: One executive stock sale and a price-prediction style article could create some headline noise, but they do not appear to materially change the company’s operating outlook. Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) EVP Sells $1,435,203.96 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: One article argued another e-commerce and fintech company may be a better buy than Walmart, which could slightly temper enthusiasm at the margin, though it does not alter Walmart’s fundamentals. Forget Walmart: This E-Commerce and Fintech Giant Is Growing 40% YoY and Is a Better Buy

Walmart Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $121.03 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $125.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $121.96. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $93.62 and a 52-week high of $135.15. The firm has a market cap of $963.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.51 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its 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. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The business had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.61 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on WMT shares. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Truist Financial set a $140.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Tigress Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $155.00 price target (up from $150.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 29th. BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price target on shares of Walmart from $147.00 to $146.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $138.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.85.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.92, for a total value of $359,368.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 577,853 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $71,607,543.76. This trade represents a 0.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.63, for a total transaction of $2,303,320.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,174,579 shares in the company, valued at approximately $495,230,306.77. This represents a 0.46% 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 quarter, insiders have sold 128,986 shares of company stock valued at $15,927,908. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.