Fisher Asset Management LLC Increases Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Fisher Asset Management boosted its Walmart stake by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, adding 328,229 shares and bringing its holdings to 40.6 million shares worth about $4.53 billion.
• Walmart reported solid first-quarter results, with revenue of $177.8 billion and EPS of $0.66, while e-commerce sales rose 26% and advertising revenue climbed 37%.
• Despite the strong quarter, the stock faced pressure after Walmart issued second-quarter EPS guidance below consensus and reaffirmed full-year targets that also fell short of Wall Street expectations, raising margin concerns.

Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 40,626,852 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 328,229 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises approximately 1.5% of Fisher Asset Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Fisher Asset Management LLC owned 0.51% of Walmart worth $4,526,238,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,561 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $285,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Capstone Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Capstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,955 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $552,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Ellenbecker Investment Group grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Ellenbecker Investment Group now owns 14,475 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,613,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Matrix Trust Co grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 20.0% during the fourth quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 547 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Frazier Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,362 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $263,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating and set a $145.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their target price on shares of Walmart from $147.00 to $146.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $150.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Roth Mkm restated a "buy" rating and set a $138.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $138.71.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,335 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.63, for a total value of $166,381.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 636,843 shares in the company, valued at approximately $79,369,743.09. This represents a 0.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.96, for a total transaction of $1,600,725.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 687,287 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $83,821,522.52. This trade represents a 1.87% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 126,008 shares of company stock valued at $15,896,715. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ WMT opened at $120.27 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $958.67 billion, a PE ratio of 42.20, a P/E/G ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a fifty day moving average of $126.77 and a 200 day moving average of $120.16. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $93.43 and a 1 year high of $135.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.24.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted 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. The company had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.61 earnings per share. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

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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