Gradient Investments LLC Grows Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Gradient Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 1.2% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 387,784 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,686 shares during the period. Gradient Investments LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $43,920,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake 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 during the period. Sankala Group LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $111.85 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $95.42 and a 12-month high of $135.15. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $114.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $121.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The company has a market cap of $890.11 billion, a PE ratio of 39.25, a PEG ratio of 4.18 and a beta of 0.61.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $174.84 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.61 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. Analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total value of $1,435,203.96. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 125,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,985,527.94. This trade represents a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing 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 Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.19, for a total value of $342,751.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 574,953 shares in the company, valued at $67,953,695.07. The trade was a 0.50% 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 sold a total of 71,439 shares of company stock valued at $8,544,532 in the last 90 days. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Truist Financial set a $140.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $142.00 price target on shares of Walmart and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Freedom Capital raised shares of Walmart from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.56.

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.