Choate Investment Advisors Purchases 49,316 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Choate Investment Advisors increased its Walmart stake by 12.9% in the fourth quarter, buying 49,316 shares and bringing its total holding to 431,661 shares worth about $48.1 million.
• Institutional interest remains broad, with firms like Vanguard, AQR, Amundi, and Axxcess Wealth Management also boosting their positions; institutions now own 26.76% of Walmart’s stock.
• Walmart’s latest results were solid but guidance disappointed: the company met EPS expectations and beat revenue estimates, but shares fell after second-quarter and full-year guidance came in below Wall Street forecasts amid margin pressure concerns.

Choate Investment Advisors lifted its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 12.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 431,661 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 49,316 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for approximately 0.9% of Choate Investment Advisors' holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Choate Investment Advisors' holdings in Walmart were worth $48,091,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 188.1% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,199,907,000 after buying an additional 7,614,172 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Walmart by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer's stock worth $49,015,626,000 after buying an additional 4,304,436 shares in the last quarter. Amundi lifted its position in Walmart by 20.5% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 23,497,921 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,413,236,000 after buying an additional 4,004,277 shares in the last quarter. Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth about $294,621,000. Finally, Axxcess Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 1,061.8% during the 4th quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,042,724 shares of the retailer's stock worth $338,989,000 after buying an additional 2,780,817 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the topic of several research reports. DA Davidson set a $150.00 price target on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $138.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. HSBC downgraded shares of Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $122.00 to $131.00 in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $138.71.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart posted solid first-quarter results, with revenue of $177.8 billion and EPS of $0.66, while e-commerce sales rose 26% and advertising revenue jumped 37%, highlighting continued strength in digital and membership-driven businesses.
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts remained constructive after earnings: Bank of America reiterated a Buy rating and said Walmart is well positioned to gain share in a price-sensitive environment, while BTIG and BNP Paribas Exane also kept positive ratings despite modestly trimming price targets.
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart disclosed pre-arranged insider sales by CEO John Furner and EVP Christopher James Nicholas, but both transactions were made under 10b5-1 plans, which typically limits how much investors read into them.
• Neutral Sentiment: News reports also noted leadership changes, including the departure of Sam’s Club COO Tom Ward and U.S. stores EVP Cedric Clark, adding some uncertainty but not appearing to change the company’s near-term operating outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Shares weakened after Walmart issued second-quarter EPS guidance below consensus and reaffirmed full-year targets that also came in below Wall Street expectations, prompting concerns that margin pressure could continue.
• Negative Sentiment: Management said elevated fuel prices are pressuring both consumers and Walmart’s own costs, reinforcing worries that spending could soften and profitability could stay under pressure in the coming quarters.

Walmart Stock Performance

Walmart stock opened at $120.27 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $93.43 and a 1 year high of $135.15. The company has a market cap of $958.67 billion, a PE ratio of 42.20, a PEG ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.65. The company's 50-day moving average is $126.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $120.16.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates 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 in the prior year, the company posted $0.61 EPS. The company's revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total value of $2,555,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 486,764 shares in the company, valued at $62,203,571.56. This trade represents a 3.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.21, for a total transaction of $2,566,989.36. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,193,995 shares in the company, valued at $554,488,078.95. This represents a 0.46% 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. In the last quarter, insiders sold 126,008 shares of company stock worth $15,896,715. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

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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