Advisory Alpha LLC Boosts Stock Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Advisory Alpha LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 39.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 52,199 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,730 shares during the quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $5,816,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,561 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $285,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. Capstone Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Capstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,955 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $552,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Ellenbecker Investment Group boosted its position in Walmart by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Ellenbecker Investment Group now owns 14,475 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,613,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Matrix Trust Co boosted its position in Walmart by 20.0% in the fourth quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 547 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HRC Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. HRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,209 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $246,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

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, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total transaction of $2,555,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 486,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $62,203,571.56. The trade was a 3.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $71,607,543.76. This trade represents a 0.50% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 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 valued at $15,896,715 over the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the topic of several recent research reports. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 price objective (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $120.00 price objective on Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $138.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, HSBC downgraded Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $122.00 to $131.00 in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.71.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT stock opened at $120.27 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $958.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.20, a P/E/G ratio of 4.49 and a beta of 0.65. The business’s 50-day moving average is $126.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $120.03. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $93.43 and a 1 year high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. The company 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%.Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter 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. Analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.