Walmart Inc. $WMT Stake Lessened by Martingale Asset Management L P

Martingale Asset Management L P lessened its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 5.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 340,650 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 18,493 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up about 1.0% of Martingale Asset Management L P’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Martingale Asset Management L P’s holdings in Walmart were worth $37,952,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the third quarter worth $30,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 57.4% in the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 193.0% in the fourth quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT stock opened at $121.04 on Friday. 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 company has a 50-day simple moving average of $125.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $121.66. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $93.62 and a fifty-two week high of $135.15. The company has a market capitalization of $963.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.47, a PEG ratio of 4.50 and a beta of 0.59.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued 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 analysts’ expectations of $174.84 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.61 earnings per share. 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. Sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.08, for a total transaction of $1,628,550.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 661,037 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $82,021,470.96. The trade was a 1.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.92, for a total value of $359,368.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 577,853 shares in the company, valued at approximately $71,607,543.76. This trade represents a 0.50% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 128,986 shares of company stock worth $15,927,908. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WMT. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $150.00 price target for the company. Craig Hallum set a $150.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, March 6th. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, April 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.85.

Walmart 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.