Northcape Wealth Management LLC Invests $5.82 Million in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Northcape Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 51,351 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $5,816,000. Walmart comprises approximately 1.5% of Northcape Wealth Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. MFA Wealth Services raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.7% during the first quarter. MFA Wealth Services now owns 10,909 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,356,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Realta Investment Advisors grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.0% in the first quarter. Realta Investment Advisors now owns 4,089 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $508,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Compton Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 4.1% in the first quarter. Compton Financial Group LLC now owns 2,081 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $259,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Group LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Group LLC now owns 9,636 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,074,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Finally, Calton & Associates Inc. increased its holdings in Walmart by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Calton & Associates Inc. now owns 27,220 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,033,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unusually heavy call-option activity may indicate increased near-term bullish interest. Investors purchased 166,747 call options, about 33% above the typical daily volume. However, options activity is speculative and does not guarantee further gains.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is rolling out tap-to-pay and NFC capabilities across its U.S. stores and clubs. The move could improve checkout convenience, support mobile-wallet adoption and strengthen customer engagement as digital sales and membership become more important. Can Walmart’s Tap to Pay Push Strengthen Customer Engagement?
• Positive Sentiment: The company is introducing Scenario, a mostly sub-$25 fashion brand aimed at younger shoppers. Walmart hopes the offering will attract value-conscious consumers and improve its competitive position against Amazon in apparel. Walmart Aims to Take On Amazon With Trendier Apparel
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart’s latest quarter exceeded expectations, with adjusted earnings of $0.81 per share versus roughly $0.74 expected and revenue of $187.94 billion, up 5.9% year over year. Full-year sales guidance was also raised to 4%-5%, but the outlook implies moderating growth.
• Negative Sentiment: U.S. comparable sales growth slowed to 2.6%, compared with 4.1% in the prior quarter and 4.6% a year earlier. Investors remain concerned that cautious consumers and uneven spending are pressuring traffic and discretionary purchases.
• Negative Sentiment: Several analysts reduced Walmart’s price targets or issued more cautious forecasts after the earnings report. Critics also argue that the stock remains expensive at roughly 36 times forward earnings despite decelerating growth, limiting upside.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded Walmart to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 target price (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Walmart from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Tigress Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $155.00 price target (up from $150.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Erste Group Bank cut shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $131.88.

Walmart Stock Up 2.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $106.49 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $113.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $121.09. The firm has a market cap of $847.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.44, a PEG ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $95.42 and a 52-week high of $135.15.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 20th. The retailer reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.07. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.83% and a net margin of 3.00%.The firm had revenue of $187.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $186.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.68 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its Q3 2027 guidance at 0.620-0.640 EPS and its FY 2027 guidance at 2.800-2.870 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, 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. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 3,775 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.64, for a total transaction of $413,891.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 630,009 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,074,186.76. The trade was a 0.60% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 57,064 shares of company stock valued at $6,697,788. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.