Panagora Asset Management Inc. Grows Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Panagora Asset Management boosted its Walmart stake by 24.7% in the fourth quarter, adding 381,920 shares and bringing its total holding to 1.93 million shares worth about $215 million.
• Walmart reported quarterly earnings of $0.66 per share, matching analyst expectations, while revenue rose 7.4% year over year to $177.75 billion and topped estimates.
• Despite some insider selling, Wall Street remains broadly positive on Walmart, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $138.85.

Panagora Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 24.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,930,188 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 381,920 shares during the period. Walmart comprises about 0.8% of Panagora Asset Management Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Panagora Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $215,042,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Perryman Financial Advisory Inc. AD purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,027,000. Piedmont Capital Management LLC NC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth approximately $649,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 912.1% during the fourth quarter. Resources Management Corp CT ADV now owns 49,390 shares of the retailer's stock worth $5,503,000 after buying an additional 44,510 shares during the period. SHUTTLEWORTH & Co increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. SHUTTLEWORTH & Co now owns 14,961 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,667,000 after buying an additional 486 shares during the period. Finally, South Plains Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 8.3% during the fourth quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. now owns 14,404 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,605,000 after buying an additional 1,107 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $121.04 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $125.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $121.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The company has a market capitalization of $963.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 0.60. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $93.62 and a 52-week high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.66. The business had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The company's revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.61 earnings per share. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. Research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was 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. This represents a 0.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed 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 stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.08, for a total value of $1,628,550.00. Following the completion of 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 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 three months, insiders sold 128,986 shares of company stock valued at $15,927,908. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WMT. UBS Group set a $141.00 target price on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $137.00 price target (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 11th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, March 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 8th. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on Walmart in a report on Friday, February 27th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $150.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $138.85.

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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