GSA Capital Partners LLP Trims Stock Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

GSA Capital Partners LLP reduced its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 48.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,958 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 8,268 shares during the quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP’s holdings in Walmart were worth $998,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Collier Financial purchased a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $121.34 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $967.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.28, a PEG ratio of 4.84 and a beta of 0.65. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $126.83 and its 200 day moving average is $120.03. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $93.43 and a 1 year high of $135.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.24.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. The company had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. Walmart’s revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business 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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $138.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Truist Financial set a $140.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $120.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and set a $140.00 target price (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.91.

Trending Headlines about 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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 687,287 shares in the company, valued at $83,821,522.52. The trade was a 1.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.72, for a total transaction of $361,688.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 596,008 shares in the company, valued at $74,334,117.76. This represents a 0.48% 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 109,983 shares of company stock worth $13,908,797 over the last quarter. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.