Cumberland Partners Ltd Increases Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Cumberland Partners Ltd boosted its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 6.5% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 446,379 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 27,279 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up about 3.3% of Cumberland Partners Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest holding. Cumberland Partners Ltd’s holdings in Walmart were worth $50,557,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 57.4% during the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Sankala Group LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Turim 21 Investimentos Ltda. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the first quarter worth about $37,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart enters the report with a strong earnings track record, having exceeded revenue expectations for 25 consecutive quarters. Analysts also see potential for another earnings beat, supported by e-commerce momentum and a growing contribution from Walmart Connect advertising. Walmart Q2 Preview
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s grocery leadership, expanding online business and higher-margin retail-media operations remain important long-term strengths. Advertising growth could help offset the cost of competitive pricing and faster delivery. DA Davidson also reiterated a Buy rating. Retail stagnates, ad dollars help Walmart stay the course
• Neutral Sentiment: Options traders expect a significant post-earnings move, highlighting elevated volatility and the possibility that results or guidance could materially change the stock’s near-term direction. Barchart data ahead of Walmart earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Thousands of price reductions may support customer traffic but could slow sales growth and pressure profit margins. Same-store sales momentum has moderated, increasing investor dependence on advertising and other higher-margin businesses. Walmart sales growth expected to slow
• Negative Sentiment: Several previews characterize WMT as expensive ahead of earnings, with a price-to-earnings ratio near 40 and a cautious outlook already weighing on sentiment. Investors may require a clear earnings or guidance upside to justify the valuation. Walmart valuation concern ahead of Q2 earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart’s grocery advantage faces a margin test as shoppers increasingly purchase additional goods from Amazon, while elevated costs and cautious consumers could limit profitability. Walmart grocery margin test

Walmart Stock Down 0.8%

WMT opened at $114.30 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $114.03 and its 200 day moving average price is $121.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The stock has a market cap of $909.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.11, a P/E/G ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 0.61. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $95.42 and a 12 month high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The company had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.61 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Freedom Capital upgraded Walmart from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Walmart from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.50.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.19, for a total transaction of $342,751.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 574,953 shares in the company, valued at $67,953,695.07. The trade was a 0.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total transaction of $1,435,203.96. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 125,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,985,527.94. The trade was a 8.74% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 54,164 shares of company stock valued at $6,389,402. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.