Ashton Thomas Securities LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Ashton Thomas Securities increased its Walmart stake by 142.2% in the first quarter, bringing its holdings to 22,392 shares valued at approximately $2.78 million. Other institutional investors also raised positions, with institutional ownership reaching 26.76%.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive view of Walmart, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.65. Ratings ranged from Strong Buy and Buy to several Hold recommendations.
• Walmart reported quarterly revenue of $177.75 billion, up 7.4% year over year, while EPS of $0.66 matched estimates. Meanwhile, executives sold shares under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, contributing to $8.12 million in insider sales over the past three months.

Ashton Thomas Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 142.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 22,392 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 13,145 shares during the quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $2,783,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Arkadios Wealth Advisors increased its holdings in Walmart by 10.6% in the 1st quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 291,100 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $36,178,000 after purchasing an additional 27,903 shares during the last quarter. Claris Financial LLC raised its position in Walmart by 2.4% in the first quarter. Claris Financial LLC now owns 8,896 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,106,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares during the period. Altshuler Shaham Ltd lifted its stake in Walmart by 105.0% during the first quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd now owns 25,444 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,162,000 after purchasing an additional 13,030 shares in the last quarter. Encore Global Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the first quarter worth $124,000. Finally, Arete Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 14.6% during the first quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 71,317 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,857,000 after buying an additional 9,074 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the subject of several research reports. BNP Paribas Exane dropped their target price on Walmart from $147.00 to $146.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Freedom Capital raised shares of Walmart from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $137.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. One research 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $138.65.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total transaction of $1,435,203.96. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 125,067 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,985,527.94. This trade represents a 8.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $82,021,470.96. The trade was a 1.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 67,729 shares of company stock worth $8,124,931 in the last three months. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Stock Up 1.0%

WMT opened at $114.22 on Thursday. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $95.42 and a one year high of $135.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $908.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.22 and a beta of 0.60. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $115.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $122.03.

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

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