Royal Fund Management LLC Reduces Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Royal Fund Management cut its Walmart position by 50.5% in the first quarter, selling 94,723 shares and retaining 92,867 shares valued at approximately $11.5 million. Institutional investors collectively own 26.76% of Walmart.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish, with one Strong Buy, 31 Buy and four Hold ratings. Walmart has an average “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $138.65.
• Walmart reported quarterly revenue of $177.75 billion, up 7.4% year over year, while earnings per share of $0.66 matched expectations. Insiders sold $8.1 million worth of shares over the past three months, primarily through pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans.

Royal Fund Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 50.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 92,867 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 94,723 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up about 1.1% of Royal Fund Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Royal Fund Management LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $11,546,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 57.4% during the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 193.0% in the fourth quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares during the period. Finally, Sankala Group LLC bought a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on WMT. KeyCorp reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 18th. BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, UBS Group set a $141.00 price objective on Walmart and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. One 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $138.65.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total value of $1,435,203.96. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 125,067 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,985,527.94. This trade represents a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible 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 Walmart stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 661,037 shares in the company, valued at $82,021,470.96. This trade represents 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. Insiders sold 67,729 shares of company stock valued at $8,124,931 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT opened at $114.22 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $908.97 billion, a PE ratio of 40.08, a P/E/G ratio of 4.22 and a beta of 0.60. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $115.56 and a 200-day moving average price of $122.03. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $95.42 and a 1 year high of $135.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.61 EPS. Walmart's revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.

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.