Walmart Inc. $WMT Stock Position Increased by Summit Wealth Group LLC Co.

Summit Wealth Group LLC Co. raised its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 155.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 13,957 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 8,492 shares during the period. Summit Wealth Group LLC Co.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,555,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 28.8% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,868,000 after buying an additional 21,939 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $800,000 after buying an additional 485 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Wealth Management raised its position in shares of Walmart by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. Peterson Wealth Management now owns 50,307 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,416,000 after buying an additional 1,715 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 13,008 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,272,000 after buying an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its position in shares of Walmart by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 91,341 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,931,000 after buying an additional 1,048 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total value of $1,214,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 108,294 shares in the company, valued at $13,153,389.24. This trade represents a 8.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total transaction of $4,158,004.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 533,466 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $65,082,852. The trade was a 6.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 167,195 shares of company stock valued at $20,975,804. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reiterated its Walmart price target ahead of earnings, reinforcing a favorable analyst outlook for the retailer. Morgan Stanley reiterates Walmart stock price target pre-earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s planned layoffs/relocations of roughly 1,000 corporate workers may be viewed as a cost-cutting move that could improve operating efficiency, especially as the company consolidates technology and AI teams. Walmart Lays Off or Relocates About 1,000 Corporate Workers
• Neutral Sentiment: Other coverage this week noted pressure on Walmart’s margins from its grocery-heavy sales mix, although e-commerce, advertising and efficiency gains are helping offset some of that pressure. Walmart’s Category Mix Pressures Margins: More Pain Ahead?
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart also faces a new higher minimum wage requirement in parts of California, which could add labor cost pressure if passed through broadly across stores. Walmart braces for new $18 California law

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on WMT. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 price target (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $120.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $145.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $138.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.67.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $130.35 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $126.12 and its 200-day moving average is $118.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.04 trillion, a P/E ratio of 47.57, a P/E/G ratio of 4.75 and a beta of 0.65. 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 Inc. has a 12-month low of $91.89 and a 12-month high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The company had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.66 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be issued a $0.2475 dividend. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.13%.

Walmart 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.