Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd Makes New $40.86 Million Investment in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Life Cycle Investment Partners disclosed a new stake in Walmart, buying 366,712 shares valued at about $40.86 million in the fourth quarter.
• Institutional interest in Walmart remains strong, with firms like Vanguard, AQR, Amundi, and Axxcess Wealth Management adding shares; overall, about 26.76% of the stock is held by hedge funds and other institutions.
• Wall Street remains broadly positive on Walmart, with multiple firms reiterating buy or outperform ratings and an average price target of $138.71; the company also recently topped EPS expectations and reported revenue above estimates.

Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 366,712 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $40,855,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 188.1% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,199,907,000 after purchasing an additional 7,614,172 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $49,015,626,000 after purchasing an additional 4,304,436 shares in the last quarter. Amundi increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 20.5% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 23,497,921 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,413,236,000 after purchasing an additional 4,004,277 shares in the last quarter. Danske Bank A S purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $294,621,000. Finally, Axxcess Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1,061.8% during the 4th quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,042,724 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $338,989,000 after purchasing an additional 2,780,817 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the subject of several recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, April 20th. Raymond James Financial reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $135.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $140.00 price objective (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $150.00 price target (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $138.71.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $120.27 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $958.67 billion, a PE ratio of 42.20, a PEG ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.65. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $126.77 and a 200 day moving average of $120.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.77. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $93.43 and a one year high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.66. The company had revenue of $177.75 billion during 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%. The firm's revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $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. As a group, research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.77, for a total transaction of $167,212.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 635,593 shares of the company's stock, valued at $85,023,275.61. This represents a 0.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.08, for a total transaction of $1,628,550.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 661,037 shares of the company's stock, valued at $82,021,470.96. The trade was a 1.95% decrease in their position. 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 have sold 126,008 shares of company stock worth $15,896,715 in the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Walmart News Summary

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.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WMT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.