Forty three Eighteen Advisors LLC Takes Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Forty three Eighteen Advisors LLC initiated a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter, buying 119,210 shares valued at about $13.28 million. Walmart now represents roughly 10.3% of the firm’s portfolio and is its largest holding.
• Several other institutional investors also increased or started positions in Walmart, while hedge funds and other institutions collectively own 26.76% of the company’s stock.
• Walmart reported quarterly EPS of $0.66, matching estimates, and revenue of $177.75 billion, topping expectations. Analysts remain broadly positive, with the stock carrying a Moderate Buy rating and an average target price of $138.85.

Forty three Eighteen Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 119,210 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $13,281,000. Walmart makes up approximately 10.3% of Forty three Eighteen Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its largest position.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 57.4% during the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 193.0% in the 4th quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sankala Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.92, for a total value of $359,368.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 577,853 shares in the company, valued at $71,607,543.76. The trade was a 0.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total value of $1,308,670.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 120,203 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,300,550.91. This represents a 8.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 117,246 shares of company stock valued at $14,493,147. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $117.18 on Monday. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $124.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $122.11. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $94.23 and a 12 month high of $135.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $932.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.12, a PEG ratio of 4.37 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $174.84 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.61 EPS. Walmart's quarterly 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, equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Walmart from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 18th. BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $145.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane reduced their target price on Walmart from $147.00 to $146.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $138.85.

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.

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