MJP Associates Inc. ADV Acquires New Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

MJP Associates Inc. ADV bought a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 23,202 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $2,628,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 57.4% during the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Sankala Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ WMT opened at $106.49 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $847.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $113.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $121.09. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $95.42 and a 1 year high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $186.64 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.00% and a return on equity of 21.83%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.68 EPS. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.86 EPS for the current year.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unusually heavy call-option activity may indicate increased near-term bullish interest. Investors purchased 166,747 call options, about 33% above the typical daily volume. However, options activity is speculative and does not guarantee further gains.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is rolling out tap-to-pay and NFC capabilities across its U.S. stores and clubs. The move could improve checkout convenience, support mobile-wallet adoption and strengthen customer engagement as digital sales and membership become more important. Can Walmart’s Tap to Pay Push Strengthen Customer Engagement?
• Positive Sentiment: The company is introducing Scenario, a mostly sub-$25 fashion brand aimed at younger shoppers. Walmart hopes the offering will attract value-conscious consumers and improve its competitive position against Amazon in apparel. Walmart Aims to Take On Amazon With Trendier Apparel
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart’s latest quarter exceeded expectations, with adjusted earnings of $0.81 per share versus roughly $0.74 expected and revenue of $187.94 billion, up 5.9% year over year. Full-year sales guidance was also raised to 4%-5%, but the outlook implies moderating growth.
• Negative Sentiment: U.S. comparable sales growth slowed to 2.6%, compared with 4.1% in the prior quarter and 4.6% a year earlier. Investors remain concerned that cautious consumers and uneven spending are pressuring traffic and discretionary purchases.
• Negative Sentiment: Several analysts reduced Walmart’s price targets or issued more cautious forecasts after the earnings report. Critics also argue that the stock remains expensive at roughly 36 times forward earnings despite decelerating growth, limiting upside.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.63, for a total transaction of $2,303,320.08. Following the transaction, the director 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 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 that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total value of $1,435,203.96. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 125,067 shares in the company, valued at $14,985,527.94. This represents 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. Insiders have sold a total of 57,064 shares of company stock valued at $6,697,788 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 price objective (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Walmart from $141.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday. Tigress Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $155.00 price objective (up from $150.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Walmart from $137.00 to $131.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $131.88.

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.