Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas Acquires 283,050 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas lifted its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 62.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 738,924 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 283,050 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up about 4.3% of Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas’ portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas’ holdings in Walmart were worth $82,324,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Collier Financial acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its price target on Walmart to $150 from $145 and kept a Buy rating, citing strong grocery traffic that could support sales momentum. TD Cowen Boosts Target on Walmart (WMT) Amid Strong Grocery Traffic
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s e-commerce business grew 26%, while ads and membership revenue continue to scale, supporting the company’s longer-term profit mix. Target vs. Walmart: Which Retail Stock Is the Better Buy After Earnings?
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is being added to the Russell 3000 elite/top 10 during the June reconstitution, which is notable for index investors but not a direct fundamental catalyst. Walmart Joins Russell 3000 Elite As Investors Weigh Q1 Shakeup
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart launched a logistics program to streamline distribution and simplify supplier shipments, a cost-efficiency move that could help over time. Walmart Debuts Program to Streamline Distribution Network
• Negative Sentiment: Recent commentary continues to focus on Walmart’s post-earnings slide, with investors worried that fuel and other costs are squeezing margins and overshadowing growth. Walmart Sinks 8.1% Post Q1 Earnings: Exit WMT Stock or Stay Put?
• Negative Sentiment: RBC Capital trimmed its price target to $137 from $140 after Walmart’s in-line quarter and softer-than-expected guidance, reinforcing concerns about near-term earnings momentum. Walmart (WMT) – Among the Top 12 Picks for a Dividend Stock Portfolio For Retirement

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.96, for a total transaction of $1,600,725.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 687,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $83,821,522.52. The trade was a 1.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total transaction of $2,555,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 486,764 shares in the company, valued at $62,203,571.56. The trade was a 3.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 106,592 shares of company stock valued at $13,436,513 in the last three months. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on WMT shares. UBS Group set a $141.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. DA Davidson set a $150.00 target price on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 target price (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $138.71.

Walmart Stock Performance

Walmart stock opened at $118.54 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $126.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $120.53. The company has a market cap of $944.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.23. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $93.43 and a fifty-two week high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.66. The business had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm 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. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

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.