Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC Buys 5,158 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC raised its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 84.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,252 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,158 shares during the period. Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,398,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Walmart by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $49,015,626,000 after buying an additional 4,304,436 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $19,046,104,000 after buying an additional 2,242,364 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $11,426,753,000 after buying an additional 6,517,394 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $6,458,529,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,626,852 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,526,238,000 after acquiring an additional 328,229 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Trading Down 2.7%

Shares of WMT stock opened at $115.78 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $94.23 and a 12-month high of $135.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $921.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.62, a P/E/G ratio of 4.44 and a beta of 0.59. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $123.93 and its 200 day moving average is $122.21.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. The business had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business 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. Research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Bank of America assumed coverage on Walmart in a report on Friday, February 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $150.00 target price for the company. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 price target (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given 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 a consensus price target of $138.85.

Walmart News Roundup

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,385 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.83, for a total value of $165,964.55. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 633,784 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $75,946,336.72. This trade represents a 0.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total value of $1,308,670.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 120,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,300,550.91. This represents a 8.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 100,730 shares of company stock valued at $12,444,624 over the last ninety days. 0.09% of the stock is owned by 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.