Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Bought by Focus Partners Wealth

Key Points

• Focus Partners Wealth increased its Walmart stake by 41.5% in the fourth quarter, buying more than 1 million additional shares and bringing its total holding to 3.52 million shares valued at about $389.4 million.
• Several other institutional investors also raised their Walmart positions, and 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutions and hedge funds, indicating continued strong professional interest in the retailer.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on Walmart, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.85, while the company recently reported quarterly earnings and revenue that met or beat expectations.

Focus Partners Wealth grew its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 41.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,520,855 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 1,032,114 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth's holdings in Walmart were worth $389,403,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Glen Eagle Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Glen Eagle Advisors LLC now owns 104,412 shares of the retailer's stock worth $11,633,000 after purchasing an additional 1,371 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 273.5% during the fourth quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 685,860 shares of the retailer's stock worth $76,412,000 after purchasing an additional 502,206 shares during the period. Horizon Investment Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Horizon Investment Services LLC now owns 4,261 shares of the retailer's stock worth $475,000 after purchasing an additional 396 shares during the period. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 14.1% during the fourth quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 26,770 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,983,000 after purchasing an additional 3,314 shares during the period. Finally, Intrepid Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Intrepid Capital Management Inc. now owns 19,345 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,155,000 after purchasing an additional 338 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on WMT. Truist Financial set a $140.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Tigress Financial restated a "buy" rating and set a $155.00 price target (up from $150.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 27th. They set a "buy" rating and a $150.00 price target for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One equities research 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's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $138.85.

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock opened at $121.04 on Monday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $125.28 and a 200-day simple moving average of $121.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $963.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.47, a P/E/G ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $93.62 and a one year high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. Walmart's revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.61 EPS. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.96, for a total value of $1,600,725.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 687,287 shares in the company, valued at $83,821,522.52. This represents a 1.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total transaction of $1,435,203.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 125,067 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,985,527.94. This represents a 8.74% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 128,986 shares of company stock worth $15,927,908 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

About Walmart

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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