Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC Makes New Investment in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Van Hulzen Asset Management acquired 28,281 Walmart shares in the second quarter, valued at approximately $3.2 million. Institutional investors collectively own 26.76% of Walmart’s stock.
• Walmart exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $187.94 billion in revenue, up 5.9% year over year, and $0.81 in EPS versus the $0.74 consensus estimate. Global e-commerce rose 23% and advertising revenue increased 38%.
• Walmart shares traded near $103, well below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages, while analysts maintained a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $131.88. Recent insider sales were conducted under pre-arranged plans, including one to cover taxes on vested equity awards.

Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 28,281 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $3,203,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. MFA Wealth Services boosted its holdings in Walmart by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. MFA Wealth Services now owns 10,909 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,356,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Realta Investment Advisors raised its holdings in Walmart by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Realta Investment Advisors now owns 4,089 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $508,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Compton Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Compton Financial Group LLC now owns 2,081 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $259,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the period. Renaissance Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Renaissance Group LLC now owns 9,636 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,074,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Calton & Associates Inc. lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Calton & Associates Inc. now owns 27,220 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,033,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s fiscal second-quarter results showed continued momentum beyond traditional store sales: revenue reached approximately $187.9 billion, global e-commerce grew 23%, and advertising revenue increased 38%. These higher-growth businesses could support future margins and cash flow. Walmart Growth Engine Hums
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentary continue to point to Walmart’s expanding e-commerce, digital advertising, memberships, convenience-led fulfillment, automation and AI initiatives as reasons the recent decline could represent a long-term buying opportunity. Walmart’s scale and value-focused pricing remain important competitive advantages. Walmart Continues to Grow Beyond Retail
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart settled a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit alleging that its pharmacies unlawfully contributed to the opioid epidemic. Resolving the case removes an overhang and reduces legal uncertainty, although the financial terms and any broader implications remain important for investors. Walmart Settles U.S. Opioid Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights a potentially tougher consumer environment. Walmart’s comparable sales growth was 3.4% excluding pharmacy-related items, while middle-income shoppers appear increasingly focused on necessities and limiting discretionary purchases. Walmart and Home Depot Results
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are also questioning whether Walmart’s valuation adequately reflects its strong performance. A high earnings multiple, slower core sales growth and the stock’s position below its moving averages have amplified the impact of the recent selloff. Walmart Selloff Analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Executive Vice President Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares worth approximately $5.3 million. The sale was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan to cover taxes on vested equity awards, making it a weaker bearish signal than discretionary insider selling. Walmart Insider Trading Filing

Walmart Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of WMT stock opened at $103.09 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $95.79 and a 52-week high of $135.15. The company has a market capitalization of $820.40 billion, a PE ratio of 37.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.90 and a beta of 0.61. The business's fifty day moving average is $111.90 and its 200 day moving average is $120.45.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.83% and a net margin of 3.00%.The company had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $186.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.68 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on WMT. DA Davidson set a $132.00 price target on Walmart and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 21st. KeyCorp restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $120.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 21st. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $128.00 price target (down from $137.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Gordon Haskett downgraded shares of Walmart from a "buy" rating to an "accumulate" rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $131.88.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,710 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.10, for a total transaction of $419,601.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 626,299 shares in the company, valued at approximately $70,834,416.90. This trade represents a 0.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Daniel Danker sold 50,644 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.35, for a total value of $5,335,345.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 201,672 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,246,145.20. The trade was a 20.07% decrease in their position. 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. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last quarter, insiders sold 77,292 shares of company stock worth $8,421,143. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.

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