Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Purchased by Brookstone Capital Management

Key Points

• Brookstone Capital Management increased its Walmart stake by 9.5% in the first quarter, adding 28,319 shares and bringing its total holding to 324,945 shares valued at about $40.4 million.
• Walmart reported Q1 earnings of $0.66 per share, matching analyst expectations, while revenue came in at $177.75 billion, above estimates and up 7.4% year over year.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on the stock, with an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.85, even as some insiders recently sold shares under pre-arranged trading plans.

Brookstone Capital Management boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 9.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 324,945 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 28,319 shares during the period. Brookstone Capital Management's holdings in Walmart were worth $40,384,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Fox Run Management L.L.C. purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,709,000. Vise Technologies Inc. boosted its stake in Walmart by 42.1% during the fourth quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 275,341 shares of the retailer's stock worth $30,676,000 after buying an additional 81,635 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its stake in Walmart by 2.9% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,010,886 shares of the retailer's stock worth $104,182,000 after buying an additional 28,026 shares during the period. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $40,855,000. Finally, Vantus Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,087,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $119.42 on Wednesday. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $94.23 and a fifty-two week high of $135.15. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $124.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $122.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock has a market cap of $950.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.37 and a beta of 0.59.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The company had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.61 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.92, for a total transaction of $359,368.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 577,853 shares in the company, valued at approximately $71,607,543.76. The trade was a 0.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.84, for a total value of $1,638,525.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 674,162 shares in the company, valued at $84,162,384.08. This trade represents a 1.91% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 120,146 shares of company stock valued at $14,835,898. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $137.00 price objective (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, March 6th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $138.85.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s long-term nuclear power deal with Constellation Energy supports its sustainability strategy and may improve power-cost stability for operations. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s planned acquisition of Vibe.co could expand its connected-TV advertising reach and boost higher-margin ad revenue. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s Medicare support push and new weight-management coverage guidance may strengthen pharmacy traffic and customer loyalty. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart will sell Life Extension supplements in 4,000+ stores, adding another health-and-wellness product line. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: An executive sold 2,900 shares under a pre-arranged trading plan; the sale appears routine and small relative to the executive’s holdings. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart faces a proposed lawsuit alleging AI-driven gas-price inflation in California, which could create legal and reputational risk. Article Title

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.

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