Assetmark Inc. Has $42.48 Million Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Assetmark Inc. cut its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 4.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 341,838 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 14,644 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $42,484,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Walmart by 57.4% in the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC grew its position in Walmart by 193.0% in the fourth quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: June U.S. retail sales held up, suggesting consumers are still spending as Walmart heads into the back-to-school season; that could support traffic and sales volumes if the company remains aggressive on pricing. Retail Sales Hold Up as Walmart and Amazon Go Back to School
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is also being discussed in multiple market and analyst roundups, with commentary focusing on its strong digital growth and role as a defensive stock, but these pieces do not appear to include a major new business update. Walmart Commands a 36.74X Forward P/E: Is the Stock Worth Buying?
• Neutral Sentiment: An article about AI and retail highlighted that Walmart is investing in automation while still emphasizing workers, which reinforces its long-term strategy but is unlikely to move the stock on its own. Walmart’s people chief says these 10 jobs are still hot in the age of AI
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts argue Walmart’s premium valuation leaves limited room for disappointment, with one note saying momentum alone may not justify the stock’s high forward P/E. Walmart’s Momentum Cannot Justify The Premium
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart has also been the subject of bearish commentary saying the recent sell-off may not be over, adding to investor caution around the shares. Walmart: The Sell-Off Isn’t Over Yet (Rating Upgrade)

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane cut their price target on shares of Walmart from $147.00 to $146.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Freedom Capital raised shares of Walmart from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.85.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total transaction of $413,891.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 630,009 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $69,074,186.76. This trade represents a 0.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total value of $1,308,670.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 120,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,300,550.91. This represents a 8.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 87,145 shares of company stock worth $10,691,920 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Down 0.6%

NASDAQ WMT opened at $114.24 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $118.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of $122.04. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $94.43 and a twelve month high of $135.15. The stock has a market cap of $909.13 billion, a PE ratio of 40.08, a PEG ratio of 4.29 and a beta of 0.60.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The business had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.61 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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. On average, research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Company 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.