Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT – Free Report) by 84.6% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 11,252 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,158 shares during the quarter. Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,398,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $49,015,626,000 after buying an additional 4,304,436 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $19,046,104,000 after acquiring an additional 2,242,364 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $11,426,753,000 after acquiring an additional 6,517,394 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $6,458,529,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,626,852 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,526,238,000 after acquiring an additional 328,229 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Insider Activity
In related news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.84, for a total transaction of $1,638,525.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 674,162 shares in the company, valued at approximately $84,162,384.08. This represents a 1.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 8.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 100,730 shares of company stock valued at $12,444,624 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.
Walmart Stock Down 2.7%
Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.66. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The business had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.61 EPS. The firm’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. Research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Key Stories Impacting Walmart
Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Walmart is expanding its Shapermint partnership into 1,600 more U.S. stores, adding another growth driver in apparel and broadening its non-grocery assortment. Article Title
- Positive Sentiment: Reports that Walmart plans to acquire Vibe.co suggest the company is investing to grow its connected-TV and retail-media advertising business, which could improve high-margin revenue. Article Title
- Neutral Sentiment: Analyst-style articles comparing Walmart with Walmart de Mexico focus on relative valuation rather than a new operational catalyst, so the stock impact appears limited. Article Title
- Neutral Sentiment: News that Walmart Business is working to reduce friction for small businesses is supportive of the long-term strategy, but it is not likely to move the shares much on its own. Article Title
- Negative Sentiment: Multiple reports say Amazon has overtaken Walmart as the largest U.S. retailer by gross merchandise value, highlighting competitive pressure and potentially tempering investor sentiment around Walmart’s retail dominance. Article Title
- Negative Sentiment: Another report emphasizing Amazon’s rise as the first retailer larger than Walmart since the Sears era may reinforce concerns that Walmart is losing some scale advantage. Article Title
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of research firms have commented on WMT. UBS Group set a $141.00 target price on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price target on shares of Walmart from $147.00 to $146.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 price objective (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Tigress Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $155.00 price objective (up from $150.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $140.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.85.
Read Our Latest Report on Walmart
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.
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