Centric Wealth Management Has $9.54 Million Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Centric Wealth Management more than doubled its Walmart stake in the second quarter, adding 43,493 shares to hold 79,456 shares worth approximately $9.54 million. Walmart represents about 1.5% of the firm’s portfolio, while institutional investors collectively own 26.76% of the stock.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive view, with Walmart carrying a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $138.50. However, Oppenheimer downgraded the stock to “cautious,” citing concerns about its elevated valuation.
• Walmart’s e-commerce growth, grocery leadership and expanding advertising business support its outlook, but price cuts, moderating same-store sales and margin pressure pose risks. Shares opened at $114.30, with a P/E ratio near 40.

Centric Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 120.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 79,456 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 43,493 shares during the period. Walmart makes up about 1.5% of Centric Wealth Management's investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Centric Wealth Management's holdings in Walmart were worth $9,539,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the first quarter worth $29,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC boosted 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. Sankala Group LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart enters the report with a strong earnings track record, having exceeded revenue expectations for 25 consecutive quarters. Analysts also see potential for another earnings beat, supported by e-commerce momentum and a growing contribution from Walmart Connect advertising. Walmart Q2 Preview
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s grocery leadership, expanding online business and higher-margin retail-media operations remain important long-term strengths. Advertising growth could help offset the cost of competitive pricing and faster delivery. DA Davidson also reiterated a Buy rating. Retail stagnates, ad dollars help Walmart stay the course
• Neutral Sentiment: Options traders expect a significant post-earnings move, highlighting elevated volatility and the possibility that results or guidance could materially change the stock’s near-term direction. Barchart data ahead of Walmart earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Thousands of price reductions may support customer traffic but could slow sales growth and pressure profit margins. Same-store sales momentum has moderated, increasing investor dependence on advertising and other higher-margin businesses. Walmart sales growth expected to slow
• Negative Sentiment: Several previews characterize WMT as expensive ahead of earnings, with a price-to-earnings ratio near 40 and a cautious outlook already weighing on sentiment. Investors may require a clear earnings or guidance upside to justify the valuation. Walmart valuation concern ahead of Q2 earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart’s grocery advantage faces a margin test as shoppers increasingly purchase additional goods from Amazon, while elevated costs and cautious consumers could limit profitability. Walmart grocery margin test

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Oppenheimer cut Walmart from a "market perform" rating to a "cautious" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Mizuho set a $130.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, July 27th. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $145.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $137.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $138.50.

Walmart Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of WMT opened at $114.30 on Thursday. 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 $95.42 and a 12 month high of $135.15. The firm's 50 day moving average is $114.03 and its 200-day moving average is $121.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $909.61 billion, a PE ratio of 40.11, a P/E/G ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 0.61.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate 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 firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.61 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total value of $1,308,670.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 120,203 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,300,550.91. The trade was a 8.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total value of $413,891.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 630,009 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $69,074,186.76. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 54,164 shares of company stock worth $6,389,402. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Walmart Company 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.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source