Advisortrust Partners LLC Makes New $6.22 Million Investment in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Advisortrust Partners LLC opened a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter, buying 55,859 shares worth about $6.22 million. Walmart now represents 2.7% of the firm’s portfolio and its 10th-largest holding.
• Other institutions also boosted or initiated Walmart stakes, and institutional investors now own 26.76% of the company. Analyst sentiment remains upbeat, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $138.85.
• Walmart recently reported quarterly EPS of $0.66, matching estimates, while revenue of $177.75 billion topped expectations and rose 7.4% year over year. The stock last traded at $117.18, below its 52-week high of $135.15.

Advisortrust Partners LLC bought a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm bought 55,859 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $6,223,000. Walmart makes up 2.7% of Advisortrust Partners LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WMT. PeakShares LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,000,000. Audent Global Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 8,189.3% during the 4th quarter. Audent Global Asset Management LLC now owns 725,981 shares of the retailer's stock worth $80,882,000 after purchasing an additional 717,223 shares in the last quarter. Rubicon Advisors GP acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $225,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 11.3% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,128,972 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $237,315,000 after buying an additional 216,172 shares during the period. Finally, Union Savings Bank bought a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $108,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price target on Walmart from $147.00 to $146.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Truist Financial set a $140.00 price objective on Walmart in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price objective (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Freedom Capital raised Walmart from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $145.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $138.85.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.92, for a total transaction of $359,368.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 577,853 shares of the company's stock, valued at $71,607,543.76. This represents a 0.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total transaction of $1,308,670.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 120,203 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,300,550.91. This represents a 8.38% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 117,246 shares of company stock valued at $14,493,147. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $117.18 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The company has a market capitalization of $932.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.37 and a beta of 0.60. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $124.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $122.11. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $94.23 and a 12-month high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The company had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.61 earnings per share. 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WMT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.