Symmetry Partners LLC Grows Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Symmetry Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 49.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 29,851 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,834 shares during the quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $3,076,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Access Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the second quarter worth about $26,000. PFS Partners LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 267.8% during the 2nd quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 320 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 55.3% during the 2nd quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 323 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new stake in Walmart in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, Harbor Asset Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $46,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Friday, November 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.57, for a total transaction of $2,127,411.12. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,334,747 shares in the company, valued at approximately $474,958,228.79. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.91, for a total transaction of $1,508,193.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 733,841 shares in the company, valued at approximately $84,325,669.31. The trade was a 1.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 108,412 shares of company stock valued at $11,741,699. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. UBS Group set a $130.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $123.00 price target (up previously from $111.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Walmart from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Thirty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $120.54.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $111.56 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $79.81 and a 12 month high of $117.45. The company has a market capitalization of $889.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.01, a PEG ratio of 5.15 and a beta of 0.64. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $108.05 and its 200 day moving average is $102.43.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.31% and a net margin of 3.26%.The business had revenue of $179.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $175.15 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.58 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. Research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 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.