Cidel Asset Management Inc. Purchases 4,927 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Cidel Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 18.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 32,012 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,927 shares during the quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $3,978,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 57.4% in the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 193.0% in the 4th quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sankala Group LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 125,067 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,985,527.94. This trade represents a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.19, for a total value of $342,751.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 574,953 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $67,953,695.07. This trade represents a 0.50% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 100,730 shares of company stock valued at $12,444,624 in the last ninety days. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is expanding its Shapermint partnership into 1,600 more U.S. stores, adding another growth driver in apparel and broadening its non-grocery assortment. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Walmart plans to acquire Vibe.co suggest the company is investing to grow its connected-TV and retail-media advertising business, which could improve high-margin revenue. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst-style articles comparing Walmart with Walmart de Mexico focus on relative valuation rather than a new operational catalyst, so the stock impact appears limited. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: News that Walmart Business is working to reduce friction for small businesses is supportive of the long-term strategy, but it is not likely to move the shares much on its own. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple reports say Amazon has overtaken Walmart as the largest U.S. retailer by gross merchandise value, highlighting competitive pressure and potentially tempering investor sentiment around Walmart’s retail dominance. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Another report emphasizing Amazon’s rise as the first retailer larger than Walmart since the Sears era may reinforce concerns that Walmart is losing some scale advantage. Article Title

Walmart Trading Down 2.7%

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $115.78 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $921.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.44 and a beta of 0.59. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $94.23 and a 52 week high of $135.15. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $123.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $122.21.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.66. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.84 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.61 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue 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. On average, equities analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the company. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 18th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Guggenheim upped their price target on Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $140.00 price target on Walmart in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.85.

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.