Walmart Inc. $WMT Stake Boosted by Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV

Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV boosted its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 7.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 78,896 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 5,753 shares during the period. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV’s holdings in Walmart were worth $9,805,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 57.4% in the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Clayton Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 193.0% in the 4th quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the period. Finally, Sankala Group LLC purchased a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on WMT shares. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 18th. Craig Hallum set a $150.00 price target on Walmart in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Tigress Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $155.00 price objective (up from $150.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.85.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT stock opened at $117.18 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $124.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $122.11. The company has a market cap of $932.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.12, a PEG ratio of 4.37 and a beta of 0.60. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $94.23 and a 12-month high of $135.15. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 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 analysts’ expectations of $174.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.61 EPS. Walmart’s revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. 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, equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total transaction of $1,435,203.96. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 125,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,985,527.94. This trade represents a 8.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,385 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.83, for a total value of $165,964.55. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 633,784 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $75,946,336.72. This represents a 0.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 117,246 shares of company stock valued at $14,493,147. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walmart Company 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.