CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd. Sells 81,655 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd. reduced its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 92.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,995 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 81,655 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for about 2.0% of CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 12th largest holding. CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $869,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. MFA Wealth Services raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.7% during the first quarter. MFA Wealth Services now owns 10,909 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,356,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Realta Investment Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Realta Investment Advisors now owns 4,089 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $508,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Compton Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. Compton Financial Group LLC now owns 2,081 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $259,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Calton & Associates Inc. grew its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Trading Up 0.1%

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $111.20 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $115.17 and a 200 day moving average of $121.93. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $95.42 and a 52 week high of $135.15. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $884.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.02, a P/E/G ratio of 4.14 and a beta of 0.60.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.66. The business had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter 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. On average, research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, 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 transaction of $342,751.00. Following the transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.63, for a total value of $2,303,320.08. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,174,579 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $495,230,306.77. The trade was a 0.46% 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 67,729 shares of company stock valued at $8,124,931 in the last quarter. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on WMT shares. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their target price on shares of Walmart from $147.00 to $146.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 price objective (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Mizuho set a $130.00 price objective on Walmart in a report on Monday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.56.

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.