Guardian Investment Management Sells 11,150 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Guardian Investment Management has reduced its stake in Walmart Inc. by 24.2%, selling 11,150 shares, and now holds 34,850 shares worth approximately $3.4 million.
• Walmart reported earnings of $0.68 per share for the last quarter, falling short of analyst estimates of $0.74, with revenue of $169.34 billion.
• Several institutions have increased their Walmart holdings recently, with Brighton Jones LLC boosting its position by 28.8%, now owning 98,150 shares.

Guardian Investment Management decreased its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 24.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 34,850 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 11,150 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for approximately 3.3% of Guardian Investment Management's holdings, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. Guardian Investment Management's holdings in Walmart were worth $3,408,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 28.8% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,868,000 after acquiring an additional 21,939 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in Walmart by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $800,000 after purchasing an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. Peoples Bank KS boosted its stake in Walmart by 1.5% in the first quarter. Peoples Bank KS now owns 29,339 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,576,000 after purchasing an additional 445 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 26.2% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 158,982 shares of the retailer's stock worth $13,957,000 after purchasing an additional 32,970 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allied Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.8% during the first quarter. Allied Investment Advisors LLC now owns 19,163 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,682,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Up 0.1%

NYSE:WMT opened at $103.14 on Monday. 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 Inc. has a 12-month low of $78.98 and a 12-month high of $106.11. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $100.16 and its 200-day simple moving average is $96.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $822.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.77, a P/E/G ratio of 4.86 and a beta of 0.65.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 21st. The retailer reported $0.68 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.74 by ($0.06). Walmart had a net margin of 3.08% and a return on equity of 21.45%. The company 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 posted $0.67 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.580-0.600 EPS. FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.620 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $117.00 price target on Walmart and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Walmart from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $111.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. Twenty-nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $112.38.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.96, for a total transaction of $403,840.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 1,052,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at $106,255,856.80. This trade represents a 0.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.14, for a total transaction of $1,248,712.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 932,313 shares of the company's stock, valued at $88,700,258.82. This trade represents a 1.39% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 151,232 shares of company stock worth $15,077,519 over the last quarter. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Walmart 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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