Empowered Funds LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC increased its stock holdings in Walmart by 57.2% during the first quarter, owning 250,141 shares worth approximately $21.96 million at the end of the quarter.
• Several other institutional investors also boosted their stakes in Walmart, with Operose Advisors increasing their holdings by 319.7%, and Clal Insurance raising theirs by 432.4%.
• Walmart recently reported a missed earnings estimate for the quarter, earning $0.68 EPS compared to the consensus estimate of $0.74, while revenues increased by 4.8% year-over-year to $169.34 billion.

Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 57.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 250,141 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 91,016 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $21,960,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Operose Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 319.7% in the 1st quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. lifted its stake in Walmart by 98.2% in the 1st quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd lifted its stake in Walmart by 432.4% in the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 362 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Lipe & Dalton lifted its stake in Walmart by 95.2% in the 1st quarter. Lipe & Dalton now owns 410 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock opened at $102.26 on Tuesday. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $76.49 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $98.38 and a 200-day moving average of $95.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $815.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.44, a PEG ratio of 4.83 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 21st. The retailer reported $0.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.74 by ($0.06). Walmart had a return on equity of 21.45% and a net margin of 3.08%.The business had revenue of $169.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.02 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.67 EPS. Walmart's revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.580-0.600 EPS. FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.620 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Tigress Financial upped their target price on Walmart from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $117.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Walmart from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Walmart from $111.00 to $109.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $110.76.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,655 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.38, for a total value of $166,128.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 647,578 shares of the company's stock, valued at $65,003,879.64. This represents a 0.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.96, for a total transaction of $403,840.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,052,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $106,255,856.80. The trade was a 0.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 121,382 shares of company stock worth $11,718,441. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Walmart Company Profile

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, other units, and eCommerce worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club. It operates supercenters, supermarkets, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs, cash and carry stores, and discount stores under Walmart and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands; membership-only warehouse clubs; ecommerce websites, such as walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, PhonePe and other sites; and mobile commerce applications.

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