Walmart Inc. $WMT Position Lifted by Summit Wealth Group LLC Co.

Key Points

• Summit Wealth Group LLC increased its Walmart stake by 155.4% in the fourth quarter, ending with 13,957 shares valued at about $1.56 million. Several other institutional investors also added to their positions, and institutions now own 26.76% of Walmart shares.
• Wall Street sentiment remains upbeat, with analysts maintaining mostly Buy ratings and an average price target of $138.67. Recent notes included price-target boosts and an upgrade from Erste Group Bank to strong-buy.
• Walmart shares were trading up 2.2% at $130.35, near the stock’s 52-week high. The company also reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $0.74 on revenue of $190.66 billion, both above estimates.

Summit Wealth Group LLC Co. raised its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 155.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 13,957 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 8,492 shares during the quarter. Summit Wealth Group LLC Co.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,555,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Collier Financial bought a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 57.4% during the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $145.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Tigress Financial set a $150.00 price target on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Telsey Advisory Group raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $138.67.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reiterated its Walmart price target ahead of earnings, reinforcing a favorable analyst outlook for the retailer. Morgan Stanley reiterates Walmart stock price target pre-earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s planned layoffs/relocations of roughly 1,000 corporate workers may be viewed as a cost-cutting move that could improve operating efficiency, especially as the company consolidates technology and AI teams. Walmart Lays Off or Relocates About 1,000 Corporate Workers
• Neutral Sentiment: Other coverage this week noted pressure on Walmart’s margins from its grocery-heavy sales mix, although e-commerce, advertising and efficiency gains are helping offset some of that pressure. Walmart's Category Mix Pressures Margins: More Pain Ahead?
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart also faces a new higher minimum wage requirement in parts of California, which could add labor cost pressure if passed through broadly across stores. Walmart braces for new $18 California law

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.72, for a total value of $361,688.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 596,008 shares in the company, valued at $74,334,117.76. This trade represents a 0.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.21, for a total transaction of $2,566,989.36. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,193,995 shares in the company, valued at approximately $554,488,078.95. This represents a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Insiders sold a total of 167,195 shares of company stock worth $20,975,804 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Walmart Trading Up 2.2%

Walmart stock opened at $130.35 on Wednesday. The firm's 50-day moving average is $126.12 and its 200-day moving average is $118.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.79. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $91.89 and a 1 year high of $134.69. The company has a market cap of $1.04 trillion, a P/E ratio of 47.57, a PEG ratio of 4.75 and a beta of 0.65.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.66 EPS. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Investors of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a $0.2475 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.13%.

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.