Walmart Inc. $WMT Position Reduced by Rathbones Group PLC

Rathbones Group PLC cut its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 6.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,386,505 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 95,103 shares during the quarter. Rathbones Group PLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $154,471,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,561 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $285,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. Capstone Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Capstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,955 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $552,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the period. Ellenbecker Investment Group increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Ellenbecker Investment Group now owns 14,475 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,613,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Matrix Trust Co increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 20.0% in the 4th quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 547 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Finally, HRC Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. HRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,209 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $246,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total value of $1,214,600.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 108,294 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,153,389.24. This represents a 8.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.71, for a total value of $2,460,201.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,023,209 shares in the company, valued at $509,780,812.39. This represents a 0.48% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 154,065 shares of company stock valued at $19,281,401 in the last ninety days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Walmart Trading Down 2.5%

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $130.85 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $126.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $119.89. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $93.43 and a 52 week high of $135.15. The company has a market capitalization of $1.04 trillion, a P/E ratio of 47.76, a P/E/G ratio of 4.96 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.79.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.66 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and media reports remain constructive ahead of earnings, with multiple firms raising price targets and UBS reaffirming a Buy rating on strong e-commerce growth expectations. Walmart Stock: Here’s Why Analysts Are Raising Price Targets Before Q1 Earnings.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s scale, digital push, and higher-margin businesses are helping it gain share as tariffs and inflation pressure smaller rivals. Scale, online push and loyalty fees: how Walmart won the year of the tariffs
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary ahead of the report highlights Walmart’s omnichannel momentum, e-commerce gains, and growth in advertising and membership revenue, which could support margins. Walmart Looks Strong Ahead of Q1 Earnings: Should Investors Stay Put?
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s earnings are expected to provide a read on consumer resilience, and some coverage suggests the stock could make new highs if results and guidance are solid. Here’s How Much Walmart Stock Is Expected to Move After Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are treating Walmart as a defensive bellwether while comparing it with other retailers; the stock’s reaction may depend mostly on guidance rather than the quarter itself. Walmart Earnings Will Offer a Read on the Consumer
• Negative Sentiment: Higher gasoline prices could weigh on household budgets and curb discretionary spending, creating a mixed backdrop for retail demand. Higher Gas Prices Have Consumers Visiting Costco, Sam’s Club More: What The Data Shows
• Negative Sentiment: There was also a small insider-sale headline, which may slightly dampen sentiment even though it was a pre-arranged transaction. SEC Form 4 filing

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. Guggenheim upped their target price on Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $145.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Bank of America started coverage on Walmart in a report on Friday, February 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $150.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 target price on Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $150.00 target price on Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.88.

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.