Simplicity Wealth LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Simplicity Wealth LLC cut its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 11.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 49,498 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 6,625 shares during the quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $6,152,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Merkkuri Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the first quarter worth about $29,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 193.0% during the 4th quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on WMT shares. UBS Group set a $141.00 price target on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 18th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, April 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.85.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.84, for a total value of $1,638,525.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 674,162 shares in the company, valued at approximately $84,162,384.08. This trade represents a 1.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total value of $413,891.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 630,009 shares in the company, valued at $69,074,186.76. This trade represents a 0.60% 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. In the last quarter, insiders sold 104,505 shares of company stock valued at $12,858,514. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Trading Up 1.5%

NASDAQ WMT traded up $1.69 during trading on Friday, hitting $113.90. The stock had a trading volume of 12,452,368 shares, compared to its average volume of 21,901,888. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $94.23 and a one year high of $135.15. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $120.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $121.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $906.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.97, a P/E/G ratio of 4.25 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion for 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.61 earnings per share. 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 year.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is rolling out more wellness benefits at Sam’s Club, including Weight Watchers perks, which could deepen member loyalty, support renewals, and boost recurring membership revenue. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is also getting attention for broad price cuts across groceries and household staples, which should help reinforce its reputation as a defensive, inflation-fighting retailer and drive traffic to stores and clubs. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer said Walmart is one of the “greatest companies on earth” and called the recent pullback an “incredible buying opportunity,” helping support sentiment around the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary around Walmart’s health event and its AI shopping efforts highlights longer-term strategic investments, but these items are more thematic than immediate catalysts for the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage comparing Walmart’s AI shopping race with Amazon underscores competitive pressure in retail tech, but it does not point to any near-term operational setback for Walmart. Article Title

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.