Harbour Investments Inc. Raises Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Harbour Investments Inc. increased its Walmart stake by 23.3% in the fourth quarter, adding 13,908 shares to reach 73,511 shares valued at about $8.19 million.
• Walmart reported Q1 earnings of $0.66 per share, matching expectations, while revenue rose to $177.75 billion, up 7.4% year over year. Growth was helped by strong e-commerce and advertising performance.
• Despite solid results, the stock faced pressure from cautious guidance and concerns about inflation and fuel costs. Analysts remain broadly positive overall, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $138.71.

Harbour Investments Inc. lifted its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 23.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 73,511 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 13,908 shares during the quarter. Harbour Investments Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $8,190,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,335 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.63, for a total value of $166,381.05. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 636,843 shares of the company's stock, valued at $79,369,743.09. This trade represents a 0.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total value of $2,555,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 486,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,203,571.56. This represents a 3.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 126,008 shares of company stock worth $15,896,715 in the last three months. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $120.27 on Tuesday. The firm 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. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $93.43 and a twelve month high of $135.15. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $126.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $120.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

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, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. Walmart's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.61 EPS. 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, sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart posted strong first-quarter revenue of $177.8 billion, up 7.3% year over year, with global e-commerce sales jumping 26% and advertising growing 37%, reinforcing the company’s growth beyond traditional retail. Walmart Stock Fell After Its Earnings Beat. Is the Post-Earnings Dip a Buying Opportunity?
• Positive Sentiment: UBS said its long-term view on Walmart’s higher-margin “second P&L” remains intact, highlighting advertising, marketplace fees, and membership income as key growth drivers. Walmart price target lowered by UBS as Q1 results miss elevated expectations
• Positive Sentiment: Higher gasoline prices could support Walmart’s value-focused traffic, as consumers tend to trade down to low-price retailers when inflation and fuel costs rise. Walmart CEO issues blunt message on rising fuel prices
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS lowered its price target to $141 from $147 after the quarter, but still kept a constructive longer-term stance, suggesting the report was good but not enough to justify prior elevated expectations. Walmart price target lowered by UBS as Q1 results miss elevated expectations
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary largely focused on whether Walmart’s strong e-commerce and membership growth can keep offsetting a more cautious consumer backdrop. Walmart's Q1 Sales Jump 7.3%: Can E-commerce Sustain 26% Growth?
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart’s cautious second-quarter guidance and pressure from rising fuel costs were cited as a reason the stock sold off after earnings, despite the upbeat revenue results. Walmart Stock Fell After Its Earnings Beat. Is the Post-Earnings Dip a Buying Opportunity?
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley also turned more cautious on Walmart amid high inflation, reinforcing concerns that margins and near-term upside may be limited after the recent run-up. Morgan Stanley resets Walmart forecast on high inflation
• Negative Sentiment: Reports of senior executive departures after John Furner’s arrival added a small layer of leadership uncertainty, though this appears less important than the earnings and outlook issues. Walmart Sees Executives Depart Following New CEO's Arrival

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on WMT shares. BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday. DA Davidson set a $150.00 target price on Walmart and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. UBS Group set a $141.00 target price on Walmart and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating and set a $145.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $138.71.

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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