Narus Financial Partners LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Narus Financial Partners LLC lowered its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 7.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,383,052 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 110,898 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for 42.4% of Narus Financial Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its biggest position. Narus Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $154,086,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fox Run Management L.L.C. bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,709,000. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,010,886 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $104,182,000 after buying an additional 28,026 shares in the last quarter. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 466.6% during the 3rd quarter. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners now owns 13,343 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,375,000 after buying an additional 10,988 shares in the last quarter. Florida Trust Wealth Management Co raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. Florida Trust Wealth Management Co now owns 196,648 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $21,909,000 after purchasing an additional 12,794 shares during the period. Finally, Pensionfund Sabic bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,378,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,335 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.63, for a total value of $166,381.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 636,843 shares in the company, valued at approximately $79,369,743.09. The trade was a 0.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total transaction of $2,555,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 486,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $62,203,571.56. This represents a 3.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 126,008 shares of company stock worth $15,896,715 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Craig Hallum set a $150.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, March 6th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $147.00 price target (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 price target (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 price target (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.71.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $120.27 on Monday. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $93.43 and a 12 month high of $135.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $958.67 billion, a PE ratio of 42.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $126.77 and its 200 day moving average is $120.16.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released 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. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The business had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.61 EPS. Walmart’s revenue 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. Sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart posted solid first-quarter results, with revenue of $177.8 billion and EPS of $0.66, while e-commerce sales rose 26% and advertising revenue jumped 37%, highlighting continued strength in digital and membership-driven businesses.
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts remained constructive after earnings: Bank of America reiterated a Buy rating and said Walmart is well positioned to gain share in a price-sensitive environment, while BTIG and BNP Paribas Exane also kept positive ratings despite modestly trimming price targets.
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart disclosed pre-arranged insider sales by CEO John Furner and EVP Christopher James Nicholas, but both transactions were made under 10b5-1 plans, which typically limits how much investors read into them.
• Neutral Sentiment: News reports also noted leadership changes, including the departure of Sam’s Club COO Tom Ward and U.S. stores EVP Cedric Clark, adding some uncertainty but not appearing to change the company’s near-term operating outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Shares weakened after Walmart issued second-quarter EPS guidance below consensus and reaffirmed full-year targets that also came in below Wall Street expectations, prompting concerns that margin pressure could continue.
• Negative Sentiment: Management said elevated fuel prices are pressuring both consumers and Walmart’s own costs, reinforcing worries that spending could soften and profitability could stay under pressure in the coming quarters.

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.