385,914 Shares in Walmart Inc. $WMT Purchased by Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A.

Key Points

• Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. bought 385,914 shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter, a stake worth about $43.0 million. The position now represents roughly 1.5% of its portfolio and its 8th-largest holding.
• Wall Street sentiment remains upbeat on Walmart, with multiple analysts raising price targets and the stock carrying an average “Buy” rating and average target of $138.88. TD Cowen, BTIG, Raymond James, and UBS all recently reiterated or upgraded bullish views.
• Walmart recently reported better-than-expected earnings and revenue, while also announcing a quarterly dividend of $0.2475 per share and signaling continued growth in omnichannel, e-commerce, and higher-margin businesses. The company’s stock was trading near a 52-week high around $134.20.

Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. acquired a new position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 385,914 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $42,995,000. Walmart accounts for approximately 1.5% of Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Saranac Partners Ltd grew its stake in Walmart by 17.6% in the 4th quarter. Saranac Partners Ltd now owns 76,790 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,570,000 after acquiring an additional 11,517 shares in the last quarter. Tredje AP fonden grew its stake in Walmart by 42.5% in the 4th quarter. Tredje AP fonden now owns 1,309,785 shares of the retailer's stock worth $145,923,000 after acquiring an additional 390,460 shares in the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its stake in Walmart by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 1,760,513 shares of the retailer's stock worth $196,139,000 after acquiring an additional 24,378 shares in the last quarter. Paul R. Ried Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $217,000. Finally, Hartford Funds Management Co LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 70.0% in the 4th quarter. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC now owns 23,075 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,571,000 after acquiring an additional 9,505 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price objective (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. HSBC downgraded shares of Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $122.00 to $131.00 in a research note on Friday, February 20th. BTIG Research increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Finally, UBS Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $147.00 target price (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $138.88.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total value of $2,555,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 486,764 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $62,203,571.56. The trade was a 3.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total transaction of $4,158,004.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 533,466 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,082,852. This trade represents a 6.01% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 167,190 shares of company stock valued at $20,975,838 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts have been raising price targets and reiterating bullish ratings on Walmart ahead of earnings, reflecting confidence in the company’s execution and near-term outlook. Walmart stock: Here’s why analysts are raising price targets before Q1 earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is benefiting from its scale, digital expansion, and higher-margin businesses, which are helping it outperform rivals and absorb tariff-related cost pressure better than peers. Scale, online push and loyalty fees: how Walmart won the year of the tariffs
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is expected to deliver solid Q1 results, with investors watching for continued omnichannel momentum, e-commerce growth, and gains in ads and membership revenue. Walmart Looks Strong Ahead of Q1 Earnings: Should Investors Stay Put?
• Positive Sentiment: Management’s push into AI and automation could support margins over time by improving fulfillment efficiency and lowering operating costs. Walmart's AI and Automation Push: Long-Term Cost Advantage?
• Neutral Sentiment: One small insider sale by EVP Daniel Bartlett is a headline risk, but it was a pre-arranged 10b5-1 transaction and does not appear to signal a major change in outlook. SEC Form 4 filing
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader retail comparisons and market worries around consumer spending and geopolitics may create short-term volatility, but they also reinforce Walmart’s defensive appeal. NVDA, WMT Report This Week, but News on the Strait Is Key

Walmart Trading Up 0.6%

NASDAQ WMT opened at $134.20 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $126.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $119.68. The stock has a market cap of $1.07 trillion, a P/E ratio of 48.98, a P/E/G ratio of 4.93 and a beta of 0.65. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $93.43 and a 12-month high of $135.16. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.24 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, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.66 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be issued a $0.2475 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Walmart's payout ratio is presently 36.13%.

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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