Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd Purchases 80,291 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Alphinity Investment Management increased its Walmart stake by 178.2% in Q4, purchasing 80,291 shares to hold 125,346 shares valued at about $13.97 million, making Walmart ~0.1% of its portfolio and its 27th-largest position.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive with a consensus "Buy" rating and a $137.79 average price target (several firms have raised targets up to $150); Walmart recently beat EPS estimates, reported 5.6% revenue growth, and set FY2027 guidance of $2.75–$2.85 EPS while trading at a ~$1.05 trillion market cap.
• Offsetting the positive analyst view, insiders sold 243,960 shares worth about $30.3 million over the past three months, and company insiders now own roughly 0.10% of outstanding stock.

Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd raised its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 178.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 125,346 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 80,291 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises approximately 0.1% of Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd's holdings in Walmart were worth $13,965,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Walmart by 0.9% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 435,652,710 shares of the retailer's stock worth $44,898,368,000 after acquiring an additional 3,835,200 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $19,046,104,000 after purchasing an additional 2,242,364 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.6% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,298,623 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,153,176,000 after purchasing an additional 634,211 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.5% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 27,268,463 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,810,288,000 after purchasing an additional 934,468 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.4% during the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 24,990,692 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,575,541,000 after purchasing an additional 93,459 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on WMT shares. BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $120.00 target price on Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. KeyCorp reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $145.00 target price (up from $128.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 13th. DA Davidson set a $150.00 price target on Walmart and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $134.00 price target (up from $129.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $137.79.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,335 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.63, for a total transaction of $166,381.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 636,843 shares of the company's stock, valued at $79,369,743.09. The trade was a 0.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.72, for a total transaction of $361,688.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 596,008 shares in the company, valued at approximately $74,334,117.76. This trade represents a 0.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 243,960 shares of company stock valued at $30,284,661. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Up 1.6%

WMT stock opened at $132.03 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.05 trillion, a P/E ratio of 48.19, a P/E/G ratio of 4.84 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.24. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $91.89 and a 1-year high of $134.69. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $125.67 and a 200-day moving average price of $116.64.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The company had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $188.37 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.66 earnings per share. Walmart'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. Equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart filed its 2026 Annual Report and proxy; CEO John Furner’s first shareholder letter emphasizes confidence in the business model and investments in associates and AI-powered solutions — signals management is prioritizing productivity and tech-driven growth. Walmart Releases 2026 Annual Report and Proxy Statement
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target to $140 and kept an “overweight” rating, offering fresh analyst validation and upside versus current levels — a direct catalyst for buy-side flows. Morgan Stanley raises price target
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart launched “Upstream Facility Services,” expanding into maintenance services for businesses — a diversification move that creates higher-margin, recurring B2B revenue beyond core retail. Walmart Inc. (WMT) Diversifies Beyond Retail Into Maintenance Services
• Positive Sentiment: Sam’s Club introduced a one-hour express delivery option for members, tightening competition with Costco and improving value for members — an operational win that can drive higher same-club sales and membership retention. Walmart's warehouse club ups the pressure on Costco
• Positive Sentiment: Consensus analyst rating sits at “Buy,” reflecting broad sell‑side confidence which supports demand for the shares. Walmart Given Consensus Rating of "Buy"
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces highlight Walmart’s strategic push into the “decision layer” (competing with Amazon on AI-driven choice architecture) — underscores longer-term tech competition but is not an immediate earnings swing. Amazon and Walmart Race to Capture Retail's Decision Layer First
• Neutral Sentiment: Partnerships like the Back to the Roots retail program are PR/CSR positives that help merchandising and sustainability narratives but have limited near-term revenue impact. Back to the Roots Scales Regenerative Movement Nationwide
• Negative Sentiment: Industry commentary noting Visa’s faster market‑cap growth versus Walmart highlights relative-growth concerns and investor preference for payments/tech growth stories over traditional retail — a competitive narrative that can cap valuation multiples. One Year Later: We Predicted Visa Would Overtake Walmart

Walmart Company 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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