Caprock Group LLC Raises Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Caprock Group LLC raised its Walmart stake 13.0% in Q4, acquiring 18,164 shares to hold 157,638 shares valued at about $17.6 million.
• Company insiders have been net sellers—CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares and EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,335, and insiders disposed of 243,960 shares worth $30.3 million over the past three months (insiders own 0.10%).
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive with a consensus "Buy" rating and an average price target of $137.79, while several firms (TD Cowen, Jefferies, Oppenheimer, BTIG) have raised targets into the $140–$145 range.

Caprock Group LLC increased its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 13.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 157,638 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 18,164 shares during the quarter. Caprock Group LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $17,599,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fox Run Management L.L.C. bought a new stake in Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth $1,709,000. CWM LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 24.2% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,175,703 shares of the retailer's stock worth $121,168,000 after acquiring an additional 229,220 shares during the last quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. grew its holdings in Walmart by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 63,782 shares of the retailer's stock worth $6,567,000 after acquiring an additional 9,061 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in Walmart by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,010,886 shares of the retailer's stock worth $104,182,000 after acquiring an additional 28,026 shares during the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors grew its holdings in Walmart by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 293,866 shares of the retailer's stock worth $30,286,000 after acquiring an additional 14,487 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.84, for a total transaction of $1,638,525.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 674,162 shares of the company's stock, valued at $84,162,384.08. The trade was a 1.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,335 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.63, for a total transaction of $166,381.05. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 636,843 shares in the company, valued at $79,369,743.09. The trade was a 0.21% 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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 243,960 shares of company stock worth $30,284,661. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walmart Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of WMT opened at $132.03 on Friday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $125.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $116.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.05 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.19, a PEG ratio of 4.84 and a beta of 0.66. 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 Inc. has a 1-year low of $91.89 and a 1-year high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm 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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.2475 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 presently 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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $145.00 price target (up from $136.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $140.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Oppenheimer reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $140.00 price target (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, CICC Research began coverage on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, December 26th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $125.00 target price on the stock. 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $137.79.

About Walmart

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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