Stephens Inc. AR Has $191.53 Million Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Stephens Inc. AR increased its Walmart stake by 6.7% in the first quarter, buying 96,913 shares and bringing its total holding to 1.54 million shares worth about $191.53 million. Walmart is now its third-largest holding.
• Walmart reported earnings per share of $0.66, matching Wall Street expectations, while revenue rose 7.4% year over year to $177.75 billion and topped analysts’ estimates. The company also reiterated full-year and next-quarter guidance.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on Walmart, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.85. Recent insider sales and a share pullback have not changed the generally constructive outlook.

Stephens Inc. AR increased its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 6.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,540,042 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 96,913 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for 2.4% of Stephens Inc. AR's holdings, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Stephens Inc. AR's holdings in Walmart were worth $191,530,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 28.8% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $8,868,000 after buying an additional 21,939 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $800,000 after buying an additional 485 shares during the period. Peterson Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Peterson Wealth Management now owns 50,307 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,416,000 after buying an additional 1,715 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 0.9% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 13,008 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,272,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the period. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its position in Walmart by 1.2% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 91,341 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $8,931,000 after acquiring an additional 1,048 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock opened at $111.56 on Wednesday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $121.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $122.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $94.23 and a 1 year high of $135.15. The company has a market capitalization of $887.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.12 and a beta of 0.60.

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, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company 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, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.63, for a total value of $2,303,320.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,174,579 shares of the company's stock, valued at $495,230,306.77. The trade was a 0.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total transaction of $1,308,670.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 120,203 shares in the company, valued at $14,300,550.91. This trade represents a 8.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 104,505 shares of company stock valued at $12,858,514. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, April 20th. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price target (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, KeyCorp reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $138.85.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is cutting prices on thousands of items, which could attract more shoppers and support sales volume. Walmart Looks to Win Over Inflation-Weary Americans With Thousands of Price Cuts
• Positive Sentiment: The retailer’s lower prices on summer barbecue staples and other essentials are getting high-profile attention, including praise from the White House, which may boost consumer sentiment and brand loyalty. Walmart Lowers Prices on Thousands of Items, Including Beef and Coca-Cola
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are also weighing Walmart’s valuation and recent stock pullback after the shares cooled from their 52-week high, but the company’s underlying business remains solid. Jim Cramer's unexpected 1-word reaction to Walmart stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Some commentary suggests the stock’s recent decline reflects broader concerns about rich multiples rather than a change in Walmart’s operations. Walmart (WMT) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: Here's Why
• Negative Sentiment: One article argues that grocery price cuts may not be enough to satisfy investors or shoppers if broader margin pressure and competitive “grocery wars” intensify. It's Grocery Wars. Walmart Cuts Food Prices, but Shoppers Are Fed Up.

About Walmart

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.