Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Acquired by Northeast Investment Management

Key Points

• Northeast Investment Management boosted its Walmart stake by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 386,021 shares worth about $43 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with multiple firms raising price targets and Walmart carrying a consensus Buy rating and an average target price of $138.67.
• Walmart reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting $0.74 EPS on revenue of $190.66 billion, while also declaring a quarterly dividend of $0.2475 per share.

Northeast Investment Management increased its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 2.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 386,021 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 8,585 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up about 1.7% of Northeast Investment Management's holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Northeast Investment Management's holdings in Walmart were worth $43,007,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Collier Financial acquired a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP acquired a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 57.4% in the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Wolfe Research reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $137.00 price objective (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday. KeyCorp reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $145.00 price target (up from $128.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $140.00 price target (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 27th. They set a "buy" rating and a $150.00 price target on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $138.67.

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock opened at $130.35 on Wednesday. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $91.89 and a 52 week high of $134.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $126.12 and its 200 day simple moving average is $118.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.04 trillion, a PE ratio of 47.57, a P/E/G ratio of 4.75 and a beta of 0.65.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The business had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.66 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 dividend yield of 0.8%. Walmart's payout ratio is currently 36.13%.

More Walmart News

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.21, for a total value of $2,566,989.36. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,193,995 shares in the company, valued at approximately $554,488,078.95. This represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.84, for a total transaction of $1,638,525.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 674,162 shares in the company, valued at approximately $84,162,384.08. This trade represents a 1.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 167,195 shares of company stock worth $20,975,804. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walmart Company 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.

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