Arwa LLC Takes Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Arwa LLC initiated a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter, buying 12,742 shares valued at about $1.42 million.
• Walmart reported quarterly EPS of $0.66, matching expectations, while revenue of $177.75 billion came in above forecasts and rose 7.4% year over year.
• Wall Street remains constructive on the stock, with analysts assigning Walmart a Moderate Buy rating and an average price target of $138.85.

Arwa LLC bought a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 12,742 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,420,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC grew 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 purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Clayton Financial Group LLC grew 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 purchasing an additional 193 shares during the period. Finally, Copos Capital S.a r.l. purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $117.18 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 business's 50 day moving average is $124.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $122.04. The company has a market capitalization of $932.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.12, a P/E/G ratio of 4.37 and a beta of 0.59.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted 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 analysts' expectations of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The business's 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 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. Analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.84, for a total value of $1,638,525.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 674,162 shares in the company, valued at $84,162,384.08. This trade represents a 1.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale 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, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.16, for a total transaction of $2,391,274.56. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,213,406 shares of the company's stock, valued at $518,923,082.96. This represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 117,246 shares of company stock valued at $14,493,147. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WMT. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $145.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. KeyCorp reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 8th. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price target on Walmart from $147.00 to $146.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Evercore restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $138.85.

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.

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