Walmart Inc. $WMT Position Boosted by Clarity Financial LLC

Key Points

• Clarity Financial LLC increased its stake in Walmart Inc. by 14.1% in Q2 2023, owning 172,793 shares valued at approximately $16.9 million.
• Several institutional investors significantly boosted their holdings in Walmart, with Operose Advisors LLC raising its position by 319.7% during Q1.
• Walmart reported a quarterly earnings miss with an EPS of $0.68, lower than the consensus estimate of $0.74, and its revenue of $169.34 billion fell short of expectations of $174.02 billion.

Clarity Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 14.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 172,793 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 21,411 shares during the period. Walmart comprises 1.8% of Clarity Financial LLC's holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Clarity Financial LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $16,896,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Operose Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 319.7% during the first quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the retailer's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the period. PFS Partners LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 267.8% during the 2nd quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 320 shares of the retailer's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 233 shares during the period. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. lifted its stake in Walmart by 98.2% during the first quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 432.4% in the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 362 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 294 shares during the period. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 55.3% in the second quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 323 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and issued a $115.00 price target (up previously from $112.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, August 18th. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $111.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, September 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Walmart from $130.00 to $127.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Mizuho reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $106.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Twenty-nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $112.38.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WMT opened at $101.77 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.23. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $78.98 and a one year high of $106.11. The business's 50-day moving average price is $100.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $96.50. The company has a market capitalization of $811.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.81 and a beta of 0.67.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 21st. The retailer reported $0.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.74 by ($0.06). Walmart had a net margin of 3.08% and a return on equity of 21.45%. The firm had revenue of $169.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.67 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.580-0.600 EPS. FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.620 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.21, for a total transaction of $2,003,925.36. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 4,373,576 shares in the company, valued at $451,396,778.96. This represents a 0.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 2,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.33, for a total transaction of $222,926.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 621,718 shares in the company, valued at $62,998,684.94. This represents a 0.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 151,232 shares of company stock valued at $15,083,877. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walmart Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.