Mizuho Markets Cayman LP Invests $7.18 Million in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Mizuho Markets Cayman LP initiated a new Walmart position in the fourth quarter, buying 64,434 shares valued at about $7.18 million.
• Walmart’s latest quarter showed solid operating performance, with $177.8 billion in revenue, EPS of $0.66 in line with estimates, and strong growth in e-commerce and advertising revenue.
• Despite the good quarterly results, investors were pressured by weaker-than-expected Q2 EPS guidance and full-year targets below Wall Street expectations, with management also citing fuel-cost pressure on margins and consumers.

Mizuho Markets Cayman LP purchased a new position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 64,434 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $7,179,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in 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 purchasing an additional 21,939 shares during the period. 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 worth $800,000 after purchasing an additional 485 shares during the period. Peterson Wealth Management raised its position in Walmart by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Peterson Wealth Management now owns 50,307 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,416,000 after purchasing an additional 1,715 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Walmart by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 13,008 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,272,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its position in Walmart by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 91,341 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,931,000 after purchasing an additional 1,048 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

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.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,250 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.77, for a total value of $167,212.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 635,593 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $85,023,275.61. This trade represents a 0.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was 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. 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. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 126,008 shares of company stock worth $15,896,715. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $120.27 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $958.67 billion, a PE ratio of 42.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.49 and a beta of 0.65. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $93.43 and a 12-month high of $135.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $126.77 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $120.03.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.61 EPS. The company'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. As a group, equities analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $137.00 target price (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $150.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Two research 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $138.71.

Walmart Company 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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