Churchill Financial Advisors LLC Invests $69.98 Million in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Churchill Financial Advisors LLC initiated a major new stake in Walmart, buying 628,141 shares valued at about $69.98 million. Walmart is now the fund’s largest holding, representing 21.4% of its portfolio.
• Walmart reported solid first-quarter results, with revenue of $177.75 billion and EPS of $0.66, beating sales expectations and matching profit estimates. E-commerce sales rose 26% and advertising revenue climbed 37%, underscoring growth in digital businesses.
• Despite the strong quarter, shares weakened after Walmart issued second-quarter EPS guidance below consensus and kept full-year targets that also fell short of Wall Street expectations. Analysts remain largely positive overall, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $138.71.

Churchill Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 628,141 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $69,981,000. Walmart accounts for 21.4% of Churchill Financial Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its biggest position.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Collier Financial purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.92, for a total value of $359,368.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 577,853 shares in the company, valued at approximately $71,607,543.76. This represents a 0.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total value of $2,555,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 486,764 shares of the company's stock, valued at $62,203,571.56. This represents a 3.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 126,008 shares of company stock worth $15,896,715. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on WMT. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $150.00 target price (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Walmart from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Roth Mkm restated a "buy" rating and set a $138.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $138.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 price objective on Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Two 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 data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $138.71.

More 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 Price Performance

WMT opened at $120.27 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $126.77 and a 200 day moving average of $120.16. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $93.43 and a 52-week high of $135.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock has a market cap of $958.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.20, a PEG ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.65.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The company had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $174.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.61 EPS. Walmart'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. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current 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.

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.