Walmart Inc. $WMT is ExodusPoint Capital Management LP's 5th Largest Position

Key Points

• ExodusPoint Capital Management massively increased its Walmart stake by 823.3% in the fourth quarter, ending with 1.42 million shares valued at about $158.1 million. Walmart became the fund’s 5th largest position.
• Wall Street remains broadly positive on Walmart, with multiple firms raising targets and ratings, including a “strong-buy” from Argus and higher price targets from TD Cowen, Tigress Financial, and Morgan Stanley. The stock currently carries a Moderate Buy consensus and an average target price of $138.85.
• Walmart’s latest earnings showed continued strength, with $0.66 EPS matching estimates and revenue of $177.75 billion beating expectations. Revenue rose 7.4% year over year, while the company also highlighted growth in higher-margin areas like advertising and retail media.

ExodusPoint Capital Management LP boosted its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 823.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,419,173 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 1,265,459 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for 1.2% of ExodusPoint Capital Management LP's holdings, making the stock its 5th biggest position. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP's holdings in Walmart were worth $158,110,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 21,939 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $800,000 after acquiring an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Wealth Management lifted its position in Walmart by 3.5% during the first quarter. Peterson Wealth Management now owns 50,307 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,416,000 after acquiring an additional 1,715 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 0.9% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 13,008 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,272,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted 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 during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Argus raised shares of Walmart to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $150.00 price target (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Tigress Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $155.00 price target (up from $150.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 29th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, June 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $138.85.

Walmart Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $121.03 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $125.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $121.96. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $93.62 and a 1 year high of $135.15. The stock has a market cap of $963.17 billion, a PE ratio of 42.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.51 and a beta of 0.59.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.66. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $174.84 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.61 earnings per share. The firm'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. Equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s advertising business is reportedly surging as marketplace activity, seller spending, and digital engagement boost retail media revenue, reinforcing a fast-growing higher-margin profit stream. Walmart's Advertising Revenues Soar: Is Retail Media Paying Off?
• Positive Sentiment: New delivery options, including Subway meals through Walmart delivery, suggest the company is continuing to expand convenience offerings and deepen customer engagement. Walmart Inc (WMT) Adds Subway Meals Delivery. Get the Bigger Picture
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart was highlighted among the best S&P 500 stocks to buy now according to analysts, signaling continued confidence in its defensive business model and growth profile. Walmart (WMT) – Among the 14 Best S&P 500 Stocks to Buy Now According to Analysts
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly earnings season coverage showed Walmart outperforming many large-format grocery and general merchandise peers, reinforcing relative strength versus competitors. Q1 Earnings Outperformers: Walmart NASDAQ: WMT And The Rest of the Large-format Grocery & General Merchandise Retailer Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles debated whether Walmart’s recent rally is fully justified and whether the stock’s party is over, but these pieces were more commentary than a direct business catalyst. Walmart (WMT) Stock After Recent Retail Sentiment Shifts Is The Rally Justified
• Neutral Sentiment: One executive stock sale and a price-prediction style article could create some headline noise, but they do not appear to materially change the company’s operating outlook. Walmart NASDAQ: WMT EVP Sells $1,435,203.96 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: One article argued another e-commerce and fintech company may be a better buy than Walmart, which could slightly temper enthusiasm at the margin, though it does not alter Walmart’s fundamentals. Forget Walmart: This E-Commerce and Fintech Giant Is Growing 40% YoY and Is a Better Buy

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.08, for a total transaction of $1,628,550.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 661,037 shares in the company, valued at approximately $82,021,470.96. This trade represents a 1.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were 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 approximately $14,300,550.91. This represents a 8.38% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 128,986 shares of company stock valued at $15,927,908 in the last quarter. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.

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.