Ascentis Independent Advisors Has $8.48 Million Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Ascentis Independent Advisors increased its Walmart stake by 40.5% in the first quarter, buying 19,667 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 68,249 shares worth about $8.48 million.
• Walmart is drawing attention for price cuts on thousands of items, a move aimed at attracting inflation-weary shoppers and potentially boosting sales, though some analysts warn margin pressure could intensify.
• Despite a recent stock pullback, Wall Street remains broadly positive: Walmart has a Moderate Buy consensus rating, and the company just reported quarterly revenue and earnings that beat or matched expectations.

Ascentis Independent Advisors raised its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 40.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 68,249 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 19,667 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for 0.6% of Ascentis Independent Advisors' portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Ascentis Independent Advisors' holdings in Walmart were worth $8,482,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Stephens Inc. AR grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 6.7% in the 1st quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 1,540,042 shares of the retailer's stock worth $191,530,000 after purchasing an additional 96,913 shares during the last quarter. LVZ Inc. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. LVZ Inc. now owns 10,656 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,324,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares during the last quarter. Hardy Reed LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 5.2% during the 1st quarter. Hardy Reed LLC now owns 13,791 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,714,000 after purchasing an additional 680 shares during the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Walmart by 3.0% in the first quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 9,580 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,191,000 after buying an additional 281 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pennsylvania Capital Management Inc. ADV boosted its position in Walmart by 7.3% in the first quarter. Pennsylvania Capital Management Inc. ADV now owns 2,611 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $324,000 after buying an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is cutting prices on thousands of items, which could attract more shoppers and support sales volume. Walmart Looks to Win Over Inflation-Weary Americans With Thousands of Price Cuts
• Positive Sentiment: The retailer’s lower prices on summer barbecue staples and other essentials are getting high-profile attention, including praise from the White House, which may boost consumer sentiment and brand loyalty. Walmart Lowers Prices on Thousands of Items, Including Beef and Coca-Cola
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are also weighing Walmart’s valuation and recent stock pullback after the shares cooled from their 52-week high, but the company’s underlying business remains solid. Jim Cramer's unexpected 1-word reaction to Walmart stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Some commentary suggests the stock’s recent decline reflects broader concerns about rich multiples rather than a change in Walmart’s operations. Walmart (WMT) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: Here's Why
• Negative Sentiment: One article argues that grocery price cuts may not be enough to satisfy investors or shoppers if broader margin pressure and competitive “grocery wars” intensify. It's Grocery Wars. Walmart Cuts Food Prices, but Shoppers Are Fed Up.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $137.00 target price (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Erste Group Bank cut Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $138.85.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.84, for a total value of $1,638,525.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 674,162 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $84,162,384.08. This represents a 1.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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 on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.63, for a total transaction of $2,303,320.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,174,579 shares in the company, valued at approximately $495,230,306.77. The trade was a 0.46% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 104,505 shares of company stock worth $12,858,514 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT stock opened at $111.56 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $887.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.14, a P/E/G ratio of 4.12 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $121.36 and a 200 day simple moving average of $122.05. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $94.23 and a 1 year high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates 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 in the previous year, the firm posted $0.61 earnings per share. The company'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. Research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.

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