Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Bought by Gradient Investments LLC

Gradient Investments LLC grew its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 387,784 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 4,686 shares during the period. Gradient Investments LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $43,920,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. MFA Wealth Services increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.7% in the first quarter. MFA Wealth Services now owns 10,909 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,356,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Realta Investment Advisors boosted its stake in Walmart by 2.0% during the first quarter. Realta Investment Advisors now owns 4,089 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $508,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Compton Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 4.1% during the first quarter. Compton Financial Group LLC now owns 2,081 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $259,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Group LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Renaissance Group LLC now owns 9,636 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,074,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Calton & Associates Inc. grew its holdings in Walmart by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Calton & Associates Inc. now owns 27,220 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,033,000 after buying an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total value of $1,308,670.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 125,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,985,527.94. This represents a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 71,439 shares of company stock valued at $8,544,532. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Weiss Ratings downgraded Walmart from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Tigress Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $155.00 price target (up from $150.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 price target (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 11th. 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.56.

Walmart Price Performance

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 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 50-day moving average price of $114.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $121.66. The stock has a market cap of $890.11 billion, a PE ratio of 39.25, a P/E/G 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. The company had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company 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. Equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

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.