Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Has $73.28 Million Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Aptus Capital Advisors increased its Walmart stake by 4.3% in the fourth quarter, ending with 657,666 shares valued at about $73.28 million.
• Several other hedge funds also adjusted holdings, and overall institutional investors own 26.76% of Walmart’s shares.
• Walmart reported Q1 earnings of $0.66 per share, matching estimates, while revenue of $177.75 billion beat forecasts and rose 7.4% year over year; analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average target of $138.85.

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 4.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 657,666 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 27,189 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $73,276,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WMT. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 57.4% during the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 193.0% during the 4th quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $120.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Craig Hallum set a $150.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $150.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Wolfe Research reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $137.00 target price (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Roth Mkm reissued a "buy" rating and set a $138.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $138.85.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.08, for a total value of $1,628,550.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 661,037 shares of the company's stock, valued at $82,021,470.96. The trade was a 1.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 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 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 577,853 shares in the company, valued at approximately $71,607,543.76. The trade was 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 have sold a total of 128,986 shares of company stock valued at $15,927,908 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of WMT opened at $121.04 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $125.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $121.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $963.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.47, a P/E/G ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $93.62 and a 52 week high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS 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 firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.61 earnings per share. 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 research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current 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.

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.