Pathfinder Wealth Consulting Inc. Makes New $1.28 Million Investment in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Pathfinder Wealth Consulting initiated a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter, buying 11,480 shares worth about $1.28 million.
• Walmart’s latest earnings were mixed but generally solid: Q1 revenue came in at $177.75 billion, above estimates, while EPS matched expectations at $0.66. Digital businesses remained strong, with e-commerce sales up 26% and advertising revenue up 37%.
• Despite the strong quarter, Walmart’s shares were pressured by weaker-than-expected Q2 EPS guidance and full-year targets that also fell short of Wall Street expectations, raising concerns about margin pressure and consumer spending.

Pathfinder Wealth Consulting Inc. purchased a new position in shares of 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 (SEC). The fund purchased 11,480 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,279,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in Walmart by 188.1% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,199,907,000 after buying an additional 7,614,172 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer's stock worth $49,015,626,000 after acquiring an additional 4,304,436 shares during the period. Amundi boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 20.5% during the third quarter. Amundi now owns 23,497,921 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,413,236,000 after acquiring an additional 4,004,277 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth approximately $294,621,000. Finally, Axxcess Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1,061.8% during the fourth quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,042,724 shares of the retailer's stock worth $338,989,000 after acquiring an additional 2,780,817 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Key Walmart News

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.

Walmart Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of WMT stock opened at $120.27 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock has a market cap of $958.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.65. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $126.77 and a 200 day simple moving average of $120.03. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $93.43 and a 1 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.66. The business had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $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. On average, research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $82,021,470.96. The trade was a 1.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.21, for a total value of $2,566,989.36. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,193,995 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $554,488,078.95. This trade represents a 0.46% 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 126,008 shares of company stock valued at $15,896,715 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group set a $141.00 price objective on Walmart and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Wolfe Research restated an "outperform" rating and set a $137.00 price objective (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 11th. BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating and set a $145.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $137.00 price objective (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned 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 a consensus price target of $138.71.

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.

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.