Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Bought by IPG Investment Advisors LLC

Key Points

• IPG Investment Advisors increased its Walmart stake 23.4% in the third quarter, adding 8,159 shares to bring its holdings to 43,078 shares, valued at about $4.48 million.
• Walmart beat quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of $0.81 versus $0.74 forecast and revenue of $187.94 billion, up 5.9% year over year.
• Analysts’ consensus rating is Buy, with an average price target of $132.41; the article also notes valuation concerns and recent insider sales under pre-arranged trading plans.

IPG Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 23.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 43,078 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 8,159 shares during the quarter. IPG Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $4,477,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WMT. Bell & Brown Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Walmart in the second quarter valued at $6,451,000. Advisortrust Partners LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 20.2% during the first quarter. Advisortrust Partners LLC now owns 67,142 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,344,000 after acquiring an additional 11,283 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the second quarter valued at $7,455,131,000. HORAN Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 55.7% during the first quarter. HORAN Wealth LLC now owns 81,544 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $9,931,000 after acquiring an additional 29,184 shares during the period. Finally, Park National Corp OH boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 282.9% in the 3rd quarter. Park National Corp OH now owns 119,865 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $12,456,000 after purchasing an additional 88,562 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $124.86 on Wednesday. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $98.88 and a 52 week high of $135.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $990.61 billion, a PE ratio of 45.08, a PEG ratio of 4.61 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. The stock's fifty day moving average is $111.08 and its 200-day moving average is $118.46.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.83% and a net margin of 3.00%. The business had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $186.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.68 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart may be positioned to beat its next earnings estimates, according to Zacks, which points to its history of earnings surprises and factors supporting another potential beat. Why Walmart is Poised to Beat Earnings Estimates Again
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s expanded Sparky AI shopping assistant could support holiday sales by helping customers shop and potentially encouraging larger orders. Can Walmart’s Expanded Sparky AI Boost Holiday Shopping and Sales?
• Positive Sentiment: A report says Walmart’s e-commerce sales are growing faster than Amazon’s, suggesting its online business is gaining momentum. 1 Stat That Makes Walmart Hard to Ignore This November
• Neutral Sentiment: CTO Suresh Kumar sold 166,342 shares, and EVP Daniel Bartlett sold 3,346 shares. Both trades were made under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans; the sales may draw attention, but do not necessarily indicate a change in their views of the company. Kumar SEC filing Bartlett SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: Bearish commentary highlights Walmart’s high valuation, with one article returning to a “strong sell” rating and another warning that the valuation may be stretched. Valuation concerns could weigh on sentiment even as the business outlook remains constructive. Walmart: Back To The Strong Sell Rating Walmart’s Defensive Reputation and Valuation

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,346 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.51, for a total value of $416,610.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 615,013 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $76,575,268.63. The trade was a 0.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Christopher Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.60, for a total transaction of $349,740.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 563,353 shares in the company, valued at $67,940,371.80. The trade was a 0.51% 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 quarter, insiders have sold 268,222 shares of company stock worth $31,604,051. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $113.00 to $136.00 in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, October 20th. Wolfe Research restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, August 21st. Tigress Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $155.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, August 31st. Finally, Gordon Haskett cut shares of Walmart from a "buy" rating to an "accumulate" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 20th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $132.41.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc NASDAQ: WMT operates a global retail business through a network of supercenters, supermarkets, discount stores, neighborhood markets, warehouse clubs and e-commerce platforms. Its stores and websites sell a broad assortment of merchandise, including groceries, consumables, health and wellness products, apparel, electronics, home goods, toys and other general merchandise.

The company organizes its operations into Walmart U.S., Walmart International and Sam's Club U.S. Walmart U.S.

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