Avanza Fonder AB lessened its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 419,590 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 8,484 shares during the period. Walmart comprises approximately 1.2% of Avanza Fonder AB's investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Avanza Fonder AB's holdings in Walmart were worth $46,747,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Accelerate Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Walmart by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Accelerate Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,387 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $377,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Chickasaw Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Chickasaw Capital Management LLC now owns 91,550 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $10,200,000 after buying an additional 354 shares during the period. RVW Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 6.6% in the fourth quarter. RVW Wealth LLC now owns 4,842 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $539,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Constitution Capital LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Constitution Capital LLC now owns 87,828 shares of the retailer's stock worth $9,785,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares during the period. Finally, Silverlake Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 19.8% during the 4th quarter. Silverlake Wealth Management LLC now owns 19,943 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,222,000 after acquiring an additional 3,292 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.
Walmart Stock Up 1.1%
Walmart stock opened at $122.05 on Wednesday. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $79.81 and a 1-year high of $134.69. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $124.17 and a 200-day moving average price of $113.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $973.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.54, a PEG ratio of 4.50 and a beta of 0.66.
Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (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 analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.66 EPS. The firm's quarterly 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 research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Walmart Announces Dividend
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Investors of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a $0.2475 dividend. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.13%.
Key Headlines Impacting Walmart
Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s ad business surged ~37% in Q4, which boosts higher-margin revenue and could improve overall profitability going forward. Walmart's Ad Business Jumps 37%: Margin Upside Ahead?
- Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results beat consensus (EPS and revenue) and management set FY2027 EPS guidance (2.75–2.85), supporting the view that Walmart’s core retail performance and membership/ads mix are improving.
- Positive Sentiment: New national product distribution deals (example: Zep cleaning products now carried nationwide at Walmart) show ongoing assortment and supplier momentum that can drive traffic and category share. Zep Expands Home Pro Distribution at Walmart
- Neutral Sentiment: Technical/market commentary is highlighting Walmart as a buy point amid broader market weakness — useful for momentum traders but less material to fundamentals. Dow Jones discount retailer Walmart offers latest buy point amid market weakness
- Neutral Sentiment: Industry logistics moves — FedEx launching same‑day options as retailers (including Walmart) race to speed up delivery — are an operational/competitive factor to watch but not an immediate earnings shock. FedEx launches same-day delivery with OneRail
- Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest reports in the feed show zero or data anomalies (0 shares / NaN increases) and a days-to-cover of 0.0 — not currently informative for sentiment.
- Negative Sentiment: A plaintiffs’ law firm is investigating Walmart’s board for possible breach of fiduciary duty related to alleged deceptive pay practices for Spark drivers — a governance/legal risk that could lead to litigation or reputational costs. Berger Montague PC Investigates Walmart Board for Breach of Fiduciary Duty
- Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: the CEO reported selling roughly $1.6M of WMT stock — a signal some investors watch closely even though sales can be routine. Walmart CEO Sells $1,600,725.00 in Stock
- Negative Sentiment: Analyst commentary questioning Walmart’s “all-weather” defensive status suggests valuation and crowding risks for investors who expect steady downside protection; this is a cautionary view on medium-term upside. Walmart: All-Weather Status Ironically Creates Risk For Investors
Insider Transactions at Walmart
In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.83, for a total transaction of $2,171,291.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 4,315,333 shares in the company, valued at approximately $482,583,689.39. This represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total transaction of $4,158,004.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 533,466 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $65,082,852. This represents a 6.01% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 274,278 shares of company stock worth $33,605,809 over the last ninety days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several equities research analysts have recently commented on WMT shares. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 27th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $150.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $147.00 price target (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. HSBC cut Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $122.00 to $131.00 in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $134.00 price target (up from $129.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $135.76.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on WMT
About Walmart
(
Free Report)
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.
Further Reading
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