Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC Increases Stock Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Focus Partners Advisor Solutions increased its Walmart position by 76.3% in the second quarter, purchasing 115,525 additional shares. The fund held 266,864 shares valued at approximately $30.2 million, while institutional investors collectively owned 26.76% of Walmart.
• Walmart insiders sold 54,164 shares worth about $6.4 million over the past three months, though the transactions were conducted under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plans. Company insiders currently own 0.09% of the stock.
• Analysts maintain a broadly positive view, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $138.50 price target. However, Walmart’s roughly 40 P/E ratio, planned price cuts and moderating same-store sales could pressure margins and make strong earnings or guidance particularly important.

Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 76.3% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 266,864 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 115,525 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for about 0.3% of Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC's holdings, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $30,225,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. MFA Wealth Services lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. MFA Wealth Services now owns 10,909 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,356,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Realta Investment Advisors increased its position in shares of Walmart by 2.0% during the first quarter. Realta Investment Advisors now owns 4,089 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $508,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. Compton Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 4.1% in the first quarter. Compton Financial Group LLC now owns 2,081 shares of the retailer's stock worth $259,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Group LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Group LLC now owns 9,636 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,074,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Calton & Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Calton & Associates Inc. now owns 27,220 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,033,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.63, for a total value of $2,303,320.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,174,579 shares in the company, valued at $495,230,306.77. This represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total transaction of $1,435,203.96. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 125,067 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,985,527.94. This represents a 8.74% decrease in their position. 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 three months, insiders have sold 54,164 shares of company stock valued at $6,389,402. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Mizuho set a $130.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, July 27th. Tigress Financial reissued a "buy" rating and set a $155.00 price target (up from $150.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $142.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating and issued a $150.00 price objective (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered shares of Walmart from a "market perform" rating to a "cautious" rating in a report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $138.50.

Trending Headlines about 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

Walmart Price Performance

NASDAQ WMT opened at $114.30 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $114.03 and a 200-day moving average price of $121.49. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $95.42 and a 52 week high of $135.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $909.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.11, a PEG ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 0.61.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.61 earnings per share. Walmart's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 earnings per share for the current year.

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.

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