Benjamin Edwards Inc. Has $74.80 Million Stock Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Benjamin Edwards Inc. cut its Walmart stake by 20.5%, selling 172,830 shares and now owning 671,349 shares valued at about $74.8 million, which is 0.8% of its portfolio and the firm's 16th largest holding.
• Walmart beat quarterly estimates with EPS $0.74 (vs. $0.73) and revenue of $190.66B (up 5.6% YoY), provided FY2027 EPS guidance of 2.75–2.85, and trades at a market cap of about $1.05 trillion with a 0.8% dividend yield.
• Insiders sold roughly 263,376 shares (~$32.9M) over the last quarter, even as analyst sentiment stays constructive with a consensus Buy rating and an average price target of about $137.79 (Bank of America initiated coverage at $150).

Benjamin Edwards Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 20.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 671,349 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 172,830 shares during the period. Walmart makes up 0.8% of Benjamin Edwards Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Benjamin Edwards Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $74,796,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,561 shares of the retailer's stock worth $285,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Capstone Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Capstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,955 shares of the retailer's stock worth $552,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Ellenbecker Investment Group raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Ellenbecker Investment Group now owns 14,475 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,613,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Matrix Trust Co raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 20.0% in the 4th quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 547 shares of the retailer's stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HRC Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. HRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,209 shares of the retailer's stock worth $246,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of WMT stock opened at $131.60 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $91.89 and a 52-week high of $134.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.79. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $125.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $117.67. The company has a market capitalization of $1.05 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.03, a PEG ratio of 4.90 and a beta of 0.65.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid a $0.2475 dividend. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. Walmart's payout ratio is presently 36.13%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, January 18th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 27th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $150.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $147.00 price objective (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $137.79.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total value of $4,158,004.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 533,466 shares in the company, valued at $65,082,852. The trade was a 6.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 687,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $83,821,522.52. The trade was a 1.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 263,376 shares of company stock valued at $32,851,650. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart announced a third U.S. milk-processing facility, a $350 million investment to boost domestic dairy supply and vertical integration, which should cut supply-chain risk and support grocery margins. Walmart opens third U.S. milk processing facility with $350 million investment
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart earmarked millions for multiple Arizona store upgrades — investments that can boost traffic, comps and localized competitiveness. Walmart earmarks millions for multiple Arizona store upgrades
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional investor Alecta increased its Walmart stake by ~406,400 shares, a sign of confidence from a large pension investor. Alecta Pensionsforsakring Boosts Walmart Stake by 406,400 Shares
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is expanding local-product assortments (e.g., region-specific coffee/beans) to better serve price‑sensitive consumers and differentiate merchandising — a low-cost way to improve basket relevance. Walmart Eyes Local Products as National Consumer Mood Sours
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and analyst pieces debate Walmart vs. Costco and reiterate bullish theses on WMT’s e‑commerce gains and higher‑income customer mix — these keep sentiment constructive but don’t change fundamentals immediately. Better Buy: Walmart or Costco Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Several bullish write-ups (Yahoo/InsiderMonkey summarizing a Substack thesis) highlight valuation and growth arguments; useful for sentiment but not new company action. Is Walmart Inc. (WMT) A Good Stock To Buy Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart’s Acres for America grants program awarded $5.4M in conservation grants — positive for ESG profile but limited direct financial impact. NFWF Announces $5.4 Million in Grants from Walmart's Acres for America Program
• Neutral Sentiment: Internal leadership redesign (changes to store-lead roles and retention moves for high-paid managers) suggests workforce optimization; could reduce costs or create short-term disruption depending on execution. Walmart redesigns its leadership pipeline as managers making $400K stay for longer

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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