GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC Sells 18,437 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC cut its Walmart stake by 72.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 18,437 shares and leaving it with 6,986 shares valued at about $778,000.
• Walmart recently reported strong first-quarter results, including revenue of $177.75 billion and EPS of $0.66, while e-commerce sales rose 26% and advertising revenue climbed 37%.
• Despite the solid quarter, Walmart shares weakened after the company gave second-quarter EPS guidance below expectations and management pointed to fuel-price pressure that could weigh on consumers and margins.

GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC lessened its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 72.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,986 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 18,437 shares during the period. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $778,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Collier Financial bought a new position in Walmart during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new position in Walmart during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Walmart during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

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 Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of WMT stock opened at $120.27 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $93.43 and a 12 month high of $135.15. The stock has a market cap of $958.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.20, a P/E/G ratio of 4.49 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $126.77 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $120.03.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The business had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $174.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.61 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group set a $141.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price objective on shares of Walmart from $147.00 to $146.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating and set a $145.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price objective (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Two investment 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $138.71.

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, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.21, for a total transaction of $2,566,989.36. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,193,995 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $554,488,078.95. This represents a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.92, for a total transaction of $359,368.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 577,853 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $71,607,543.76. This represents a 0.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 126,008 shares of company stock valued at $15,896,715 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

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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