Main Street Research LLC Acquires 6,474 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Main Street Research LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 1.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 344,869 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 6,474 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up about 2.5% of Main Street Research LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Main Street Research LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $42,860,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 57.4% in the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 193.0% in the 4th quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is rolling out more wellness benefits at Sam’s Club, including Weight Watchers perks, which could deepen member loyalty, support renewals, and boost recurring membership revenue. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is also getting attention for broad price cuts across groceries and household staples, which should help reinforce its reputation as a defensive, inflation-fighting retailer and drive traffic to stores and clubs. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer said Walmart is one of the “greatest companies on earth” and called the recent pullback an “incredible buying opportunity,” helping support sentiment around the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary around Walmart’s health event and its AI shopping efforts highlights longer-term strategic investments, but these items are more thematic than immediate catalysts for the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage comparing Walmart’s AI shopping race with Amazon underscores competitive pressure in retail tech, but it does not point to any near-term operational setback for Walmart. Article Title

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 represents a 1.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.63, for a total transaction of $2,303,320.08. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,174,579 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $495,230,306.77. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 104,505 shares of company stock valued at $12,858,514. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on WMT shares. UBS Group set a $141.00 price objective on Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 price target (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Truist Financial set a $140.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. One research 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.85.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT traded up $1.69 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $113.90. The company had a trading volume of 12,452,368 shares, compared to its average volume of 21,901,888. 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 business has a 50-day moving average of $120.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $121.96. The company has a market cap of $906.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.97, a P/E/G ratio of 4.18 and a beta of 0.60. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $94.23 and a 1 year high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $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. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.