Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC Purchases 2,840 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 12.8% after acquiring 2,840 shares, bringing its total holdings to 25,046 shares worth approximately $2.2 million.
• Walmart's recent earnings miss reported $0.68 EPS, below analysts’ expectations of $0.74 EPS, with quarterly revenue of $169.34 billion falling short of the projected $174.02 billion.
• Several analysts adjusted their price targets for Walmart, with Oppenheimer raising$110 to $115 and maintaining an "outperform" rating.

Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 12.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 25,046 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 2,840 shares during the period. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $2,199,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WMT. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 425,961,042 shares of the retailer's stock worth $37,395,120,000 after acquiring an additional 3,224,154 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 8.9% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 43,641,936 shares of the retailer's stock worth $3,943,049,000 after acquiring an additional 3,550,037 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 30.1% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 33,292,749 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,922,770,000 after acquiring an additional 7,706,201 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.3% in the first quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 30,874,987 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,710,665,000 after acquiring an additional 387,424 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 29,843,892 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,696,396,000 after acquiring an additional 233,040 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Truist Financial cut their price target on Walmart from $111.00 to $109.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Walmart from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Wall Street Zen raised Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $110.00 price objective (up previously from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $110.04.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,655 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.38, for a total value of $166,128.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 647,578 shares in the company, valued at $65,003,879.64. This represents a 0.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.58, for a total value of $1,855,781.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 4,412,398 shares in the company, valued at $421,737,000.84. The trade was a 0.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 88,841 shares of company stock worth $8,565,205 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Walmart Trading Down 4.5%

NYSE WMT opened at $97.9050 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $75.01 and a 1-year high of $105.30. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $97.94 and a 200-day moving average of $95.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The firm has a market cap of $781.32 billion, a PE ratio of 41.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.93 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 21st. The retailer reported $0.68 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $169.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $174.02 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.76% and a net margin of 2.75%.The firm's revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.67 EPS. Walmart has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.580-0.600 EPS. FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.620 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a $0.235 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a dividend yield of 90.0%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is presently 40.17%.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, other units, and eCommerce worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club. It operates supercenters, supermarkets, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs, cash and carry stores, and discount stores under Walmart and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands; membership-only warehouse clubs; ecommerce websites, such as walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, PhonePe and other sites; and mobile commerce applications.

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