CM Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT – Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 3,965 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $443,000.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Walmart by 188.1% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,199,907,000 after purchasing an additional 7,614,172 shares in the last quarter. Amundi grew its position in Walmart by 20.5% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 23,497,921 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,413,236,000 after purchasing an additional 4,004,277 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Walmart by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 435,652,710 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $44,898,368,000 after purchasing an additional 3,835,200 shares in the last quarter. Danske Bank A S purchased a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $294,621,000. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC grew its position in Walmart by 1,991.9% during the 2nd quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 2,549,719 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $249,312,000 after purchasing an additional 2,427,834 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
WMT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $140.00 price objective (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $140.00 target price (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $138.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $134.00 target price (up from $129.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $137.64.
Key Headlines Impacting Walmart
Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Company announces its largest U.S. store modernization program — 650+ remodels and ~20 new openings through 2027 to improve layouts, tech, pickup and delivery integration, aimed at accelerating omnichannel sales and same-store traffic. Walmart Modernizes U.S. Stores As Omnichannel Investment Meets Fair Value Estimates
- Positive Sentiment: Walmart is expanding health/weight-management services (Better Care Services) to support customers using or exploring GLP-1s — a higher-margin service layer that can drive pharmacy and virtual-care revenue and deepen customer engagement. Walmart Expands Access to Weight Management Support Services for Customers on or exploring GLP-1s
- Positive Sentiment: Flipkart (Walmart-owned) plans to enter India’s ticketing market for movies and live events, offering a new revenue stream in a fast-growing entertainment sector and strengthening Flipkart’s consumer proposition. Walmart’s Flipkart plans foray into India’s ticketing market as live events boom
- Positive Sentiment: A small institutional buyer (BCS Wealth Management) increased its WMT stake, a sign of incremental fund interest though not a major ownership shift. BCS Wealth Management Has $1.61 Million Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT
- Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is refreshing its Great Value private-label packaging — a brand update that can support shelf appeal and private-label mix but is unlikely to move near-term revenue materially. Walmart announces a redesign of its Great Value brand
- Neutral Sentiment: Walmart launched branded fashion collaborations (e.g., a Devil Wears Prada collection) — useful for marketing and traffic but unlikely to be a major earnings driver. Fashion moves: Walmart launches a collection tied to The Devil Wears Prada
- Neutral Sentiment: Commentary on potential Sam’s Club membership fee increases could help U.S. club margins if implemented, but the competitive impact vs. Costco remains uncertain. Will Increased Membership Fees at Walmart’s Sam’s Club Actually Boost Costco’s Stock Instead?
- Negative Sentiment: Several senior executives sold shares over April 15–16 (EVPs Daniel Bartlett and Christopher Nicholas, and CEO John Furner). Each sale was small relative to holdings and executed under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, but the headline risk can create short-term selling pressure or negative investor perception. Daniel J. Bartlett Form 4 Christopher James Nicholas Form 4 John R. Furner Form 4
Walmart Trading Up 2.1%
Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $127.50 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $125.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $115.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.02 trillion, a P/E ratio of 46.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 0.66. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $91.34 and a 12-month high of $134.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38.
Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.66 EPS. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Walmart Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.2475 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.13%.
Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart
In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 owned 486,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,203,571.56. This trade represents a 3.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 owned 687,287 shares in the company, valued at $83,821,522.52. This represents a 1.87% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 263,376 shares of company stock worth $32,598,466 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.
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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