Meadowbrook Advisors Group LLC Acquires New Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Meadowbrook Advisors Group LLC opened a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter, buying 24,360 shares worth about $2.7 million. The stake makes Walmart its 15th-largest holding and about 1.5% of its portfolio.
• Several other institutional investors also added Walmart shares, while institutional ownership overall stands at 26.76% of the company.
• Wall Street remains constructive on Walmart, with analysts giving it a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $138.85. The company also recently reported quarterly earnings and revenue that beat expectations, with revenue up 7.4% year over year.

Meadowbrook Advisors Group LLC bought a new position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 24,360 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $2,714,000. Walmart accounts for 1.5% of Meadowbrook Advisors Group LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Larry Mathis Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $989,000. Green Ridge Wealth Planning LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $501,000. Advisortrust Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $6,223,000. PeakShares LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $1,000,000. Finally, Audent Global Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 8,189.3% during the fourth quarter. Audent Global Asset Management LLC now owns 725,981 shares of the retailer's stock worth $80,882,000 after buying an additional 717,223 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,385 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.83, for a total value of $165,964.55. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 633,784 shares in the company, valued at $75,946,336.72. This represents a 0.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the firm'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 value of $359,368.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 577,853 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $71,607,543.76. The trade was a 0.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 117,246 shares of company stock worth $14,493,147 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on WMT shares. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $137.00 price target (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 8th. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, April 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $138.85.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ WMT opened at $117.18 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $932.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.37 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $124.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $122.11. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $94.23 and a 1 year high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66. The company had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm 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. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

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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