Hodges Capital Management Inc. Lowers Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Hodges Capital Management Inc. decreased its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 6.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 104,200 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 6,813 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up approximately 1.0% of Hodges Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Hodges Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $11,609,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fox Run Management L.L.C. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,709,000. Vise Technologies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 42.1% in the 4th quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 275,341 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $30,676,000 after purchasing an additional 81,635 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,010,886 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $104,182,000 after purchasing an additional 28,026 shares in the last quarter. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $40,855,000. Finally, Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 466.6% in the 3rd quarter. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners now owns 13,343 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,375,000 after purchasing an additional 10,988 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is expanding its drone delivery program with Alphabet’s Wing, adding another fast-delivery capability that could strengthen its e-commerce and convenience moat. Eyes on the sky: Walmart and Alphabet’s Wing expand their drone delivery program
• Positive Sentiment: Business Insider reported that Walmart’s AI-powered warehouses are speeding up freight handling and reducing the time store employees need to unload trucks, a sign that automation is improving efficiency and potentially margins. Walmart’s AI-powered warehouses are slashing the time it takes store employees to unload trucks
• Positive Sentiment: Recent conference appearances suggest management is highlighting Walmart’s growth in digital, e-commerce, and higher-margin services, which may reinforce the long-term bull case for the stock. Walmart Inc. (WMT) Presents at Oppenheimer 26th Annual Consumer Growth and E-Commerce Conference Transcript Walmart Inc. (WMT) Presents at The 6th Annual Evercore Consumer & Retail Conference Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain split on Walmart, indicating the market is still weighing the company’s growth initiatives against its valuation. Analysts Have Conflicting Sentiments on These Consumer Goods Companies: Walmart (WMT), Campbell Soup (CPB) and JM Smucker (SJM)
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage around Walmart’s retail media expansion, Subway integration, and broader digital transformation has raised questions about valuation, but also underscores the company’s push into higher-margin services. Walmart Media Expansion And Delivery Push Raise Questions For WMT Valuation Walmart (WMT) Valuation Check As Subway Integration And Higher Margin Services Draw New Attention Walmart’s No. 2 Ranking Hides a Digital Transformation Story

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total value of $1,308,670.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 120,203 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,300,550.91. This represents a 8.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,335 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.63, for a total value of $166,381.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 636,843 shares in the company, valued at approximately $79,369,743.09. The trade was a 0.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 117,008 shares of company stock worth $14,492,704 over the last 90 days. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WMT. Erste Group Bank lowered Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Freedom Capital raised Walmart from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday. Finally, KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.85.

Walmart Stock Performance

Walmart stock opened at $120.59 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $125.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $121.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $959.66 billion, a PE ratio of 42.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.44 and a beta of 0.59. 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 Inc. has a one year low of $93.43 and a one year high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.66. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.61 EPS. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Company 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.