Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Acquired by EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC

EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 9.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 90,883 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,707 shares during the quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $10,125,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WMT. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

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.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $120.27 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $126.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $120.03. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $93.43 and a 12 month high of $135.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $958.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.20, a P/E/G ratio of 4.49 and a beta of 0.65.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.66. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.61 EPS. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter 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. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Craig Hallum set a $150.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, March 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $138.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Tigress Financial set a $150.00 price target on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.71.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.92, for a total transaction of $359,368.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 577,853 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $71,607,543.76. This trade represents a 0.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total transaction of $2,555,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 486,764 shares in the company, valued at $62,203,571.56. The trade was a 3.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 126,008 shares of company stock worth $15,896,715 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.