Baer Investment Advisory LLC Takes $2.12 Million Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Baer Investment Advisory LLC initiated a new position in Walmart, buying 17,017 shares valued at about $2.12 million in the first quarter.
• Walmart reported earnings and revenue above expectations in its latest quarter, with EPS of $0.66 matching estimates and revenue of $177.75 billion, up 7.4% year over year.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on the stock, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $138.85, even as insiders recently sold shares under pre-arranged trading plans.

Baer Investment Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 17,017 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $2,115,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 2,416,580 shares of the retailer's stock worth $300,333,000 after acquiring an additional 68,632 shares during the period. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA boosted its holdings in Walmart by 253.3% during the first quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA now owns 384,034 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $47,728,000 after acquiring an additional 275,337 shares during the period. Vise Technologies Inc. grew its position in shares of Walmart by 42.1% in the fourth quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 275,341 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $30,676,000 after purchasing an additional 81,635 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in shares of Walmart by 2.9% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,010,886 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $104,182,000 after purchasing an additional 28,026 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $40,855,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ WMT opened at $111.84 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $890.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.24, a PEG ratio of 4.17 and a beta of 0.60. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $122.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $122.11. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $94.23 and a twelve month high of $135.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting 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%.Walmart's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.61 EPS. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total value of $413,891.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 630,009 shares of the company's stock, valued at $69,074,186.76. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available 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 firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.63, for a total value of $2,303,320.08. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,174,579 shares of the company's stock, valued at $495,230,306.77. This represents a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 have sold a total of 104,505 shares of company stock valued at $12,858,514 in the last ninety days. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the company. KeyCorp reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $137.00 price objective (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Truist Financial set a $140.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $138.85.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is being viewed as a defensive winner in a cautious consumer environment, with commentary pointing to resilient grocery spending, strong omnichannel execution, and growth in advertising and membership revenue as reasons the stock could grind higher. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly constructive on Walmart, and new commentary highlighted strong interest in the company’s Google AI partnership for “agentic shopping,” which could support future digital commerce growth and ecosystem monetization. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity showed bullish positioning, with traders buying far more WMT call options than usual, suggesting some investors are betting on a rebound. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street continues to rate Walmart favorably overall, with several firms reiterating buy-equivalent ratings and an average price target above current levels, though not enough to fully offset recent valuation concerns.
• Negative Sentiment: Investor concern remains over slowing U.S. comparable sales and the company’s reliance on price cuts and tariff refunds to manage inventory, which could pressure margins if the trend continues. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares in a pre-arranged 10b5-1 transaction, a routine filing but still a small negative sentiment item for traders. Article Title

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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