Canal Insurance CO Decreases Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Canal Insurance CO cut its position in Walmart by 47.6% in Q4, selling 50,000 shares and leaving it with 55,000 shares valued at about $6.13 million, which is roughly 1.5% of its portfolio and its 25th largest holding.
• Institutional activity and analyst sentiment remain broadly positive: Fisher Asset Management added roughly 350,904 shares, several brokers raised price targets, and the consensus rating is a Buy with an average target of $138.09.
• Walmart reported a slight quarterly EPS beat ($0.74 vs. $0.73), set FY2027 guidance of 2.75–2.85 EPS, and trades with a market cap of about $1.04 trillion and a P/E of 47.52, reflecting size but a relatively high valuation.

Canal Insurance CO cut its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 47.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 55,000 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 50,000 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for about 1.5% of Canal Insurance CO's portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Canal Insurance CO's holdings in Walmart were worth $6,128,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Fox Run Management L.L.C. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the third quarter worth approximately $1,709,000. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 16.6% in the third quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 63,782 shares of the retailer's stock worth $6,567,000 after buying an additional 9,061 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.9% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,010,886 shares of the retailer's stock worth $104,182,000 after buying an additional 28,026 shares during the period. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 466.6% in the third quarter. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners now owns 13,343 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,375,000 after buying an additional 10,988 shares during the period. Finally, Tradewinds LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the third quarter worth approximately $11,077,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BTIG raised its price target to $145 and issued a buy rating, signaling more upside from sell‑side research which can attract momentum buyers and support the stock. BTIG price target raise
• Positive Sentiment: BTIG also issued a positive forecast for WMT, reinforcing the buy case from analysts and likely contributing to investor confidence. BTIG Research Issues Positive Forecast for Walmart
• Positive Sentiment: CNBC reports that higher‑earners are disproportionately driving Walmart’s stock strength this year — a shift that suggests resilience in discretionary spend at WMT and helps explain recent multiple expansion. Walmart has been on fire this year
• Positive Sentiment: Fisher Asset Management boosted its Walmart stake by ~350,904 shares, an institutional buy that signals confidence and can support the share price via flows. Fisher Asset Management Boosts Walmart Stake
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage remembering Walmart’s long-term dividend and total‑return track record supports buy‑and‑hold sentiment among income investors. Walmart Has Rewarded Patient Investors
• Neutral Sentiment: Barron’s warns upcoming retail earnings (including Walmart’s) will be watched for signs of consumer stress amid high gas prices — a macro read that could swing sentiment either way depending on results. Retail Earnings Will Show How Much Pressure Consumers Are Under
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart Canada launched a $1M donation campaign with Children’s Miracle Network — positive PR but unlikely to move the stock materially. Walmart Canada and Children's Miracle Network Rally Canadians
• Neutral Sentiment: A smallholder (RWWM, Inc.) trimmed its stake by ~2,388 shares — a minor position change that doesn’t meaningfully alter institutional ownership trends. RWWM Trims Walmart Stake
• Negative Sentiment: Seeking Alpha argues Walmart’s current valuation is hard to justify, flagging risk of multiple contraction if growth disappoints — a narrative that can pressure the stock. Walmart: Tough To Justify This Valuation
• Negative Sentiment: Business Insider reports operational friction after Walmart partially reversed cart‑handling rules following safety concerns — a sign of execution/worker‑safety issues that could draw short‑term negative attention. Walmart changes cart rules for workers

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $150.00 price objective (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $145.00 price objective on Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $147.00 price objective (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $150.00 price objective on Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $135.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Two equities research 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 company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $138.09.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.96, for a total value of $1,600,725.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 687,287 shares in the company, valued at $83,821,522.52. This trade represents a 1.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was 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 $62,203,571.56. This trade represents a 3.95% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 167,195 shares of company stock worth $20,975,804 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $130.20 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.04 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.85 and a beta of 0.65. 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 business has a fifty day moving average of $125.91 and a 200 day moving average of $118.22. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $91.89 and a 1 year high of $134.69.

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 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 return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The firm's quarterly revenue 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. As a group, research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Investors 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 yield of 0.8%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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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