Walmart Inc. $WMT Holdings Lifted by Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC

Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 343,561 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 6,594 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for approximately 0.8% of Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $38,276,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fox Run Management L.L.C. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,709,000. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in Walmart by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,010,886 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $104,182,000 after acquiring an additional 28,026 shares during the period. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 466.6% during the 3rd quarter. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners now owns 13,343 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,375,000 after buying an additional 10,988 shares during the period. Florida Trust Wealth Management Co boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 7.0% during the 4th quarter. Florida Trust Wealth Management Co now owns 196,648 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $21,909,000 after buying an additional 12,794 shares during the period. Finally, Pensionfund Sabic acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $4,378,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Argus raised shares of Walmart to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $120.00 price target on Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Bank of America started coverage on Walmart in a report on Friday, February 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $150.00 price target for the company. Guggenheim lifted their price target on Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.91.

Walmart Stock Down 7.3%

WMT stock opened at $121.34 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $93.43 and a 1 year high of $135.15. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $126.83 and a 200 day simple moving average of $120.03. The firm has a market cap of $967.20 billion, a PE ratio of 44.28, a PEG ratio of 4.84 and a beta of 0.65.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.66. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The business had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.61 EPS. Walmart’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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.84, for a total value of $1,638,525.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 674,162 shares in the company, valued at approximately $84,162,384.08. The trade was a 1.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total value of $2,555,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 486,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $62,203,571.56. This trade represents a 3.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 109,983 shares of company stock worth $13,908,797. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart reported Q1 EPS of $0.66, ahead of estimates, on revenue of $177.75 billion, also above expectations. The company also highlighted strong underlying growth drivers, including 26% global e-commerce growth and 37% growth in advertising revenue. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Management reaffirmed its long-term strategy and kept annual targets in place, which supports the view that Walmart’s core business remains resilient despite a cautious consumer backdrop. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts noted that Walmart continues to benefit from value-seeking shoppers, but the market is also watching whether the company can sustain growth if consumers become more stressed by inflation and higher fuel costs. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart’s Q2 guidance came in below analyst forecasts, with EPS and revenue outlooks both disappointing investors. That weaker near-term guidance is the main reason the stock is falling today. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Management warned that high gas prices are squeezing household budgets and raising Walmart’s transportation and logistics costs, increasing the risk of margin pressure even as shoppers shift toward cheaper purchases. Article Title

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.