Cinctive Capital Management LP Reduces Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Cinctive Capital Management LP trimmed its Walmart stake by 27.6% in Q3, selling 31,285 shares and leaving it with 81,864 shares valued at about $8.44 million.
• Several other institutions meaningfully added to positions (including Clark Capital, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya and Bank of Nova Scotia), and roughly 26.8% of Walmart is held by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
• Operationally, Walmart reported continued digital strength with eCommerce up ~24% in the fiscal fourth quarter and a revenue beat, but the stock trades at a rich valuation (PE ~46x, market cap ≈ $1.01T) and faces noted geopolitical and multiple-compression risks.

Cinctive Capital Management LP trimmed its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 27.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 81,864 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 31,285 shares during the period. Cinctive Capital Management LP's holdings in Walmart were worth $8,437,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 1.9% during the third quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 748,807 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $77,172,000 after buying an additional 14,213 shares during the period. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 21.1% in the third quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 80,608 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,307,000 after buying an additional 14,029 shares during the period. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 7.9% in the third quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 804,144 shares of the retailer's stock worth $82,856,000 after buying an additional 58,743 shares during the period. Chilton Investment Co. Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 7.8% during the 3rd quarter. Chilton Investment Co. Inc. now owns 42,344 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,364,000 after acquiring an additional 3,047 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its holdings in Walmart by 11.1% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 967,224 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $99,682,000 after acquiring an additional 96,672 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart reported continued digital strength: eCommerce grew ~24% in the fiscal fourth quarter, reinforcing its omnichannel momentum and supporting revenue beat and modest upside to guidance — a clear near-term growth driver. Walmart eCommerce Up 24: Can Digital Momentum Continue?
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and portfolio shops remain constructive: Tigress Financial reiterated a Buy and raised its price target to $150, citing Walmart’s shift toward tech-driven omnichannel operations — a signal of upward analyst sentiment. Tigress Financial Sees Walmart Inc. (WMT) as Tech-Driven Retail Leader
• Positive Sentiment: Flipkart IPO progress (Walmart-backed) remains a potential longer-term upside — an equity event that could unlock value and generate cash/strategic optionality. Walmart-backed Flipkart preps for an IPO as early as this year
• Neutral Sentiment: Schaeffer’s options commentary flagged bullish setups and the possibility of further record highs for WMT — useful for options traders but not a broad fundamental catalyst. Walmart Stock Could Nab More Record Highs
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysis pieces (The Motley Fool) flag that Walmart’s digital push could pay off if fulfillment economics and ROIC improve; it’s strategic upside but execution-dependent. Will Walmart's Digital Push Pay Off in 2026?
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is referenced in pieces about stock splits and retail-focused ETFs — background thematic support but not an immediate catalyst. 3 ETFs That Could Benefit as Consumers Tighten Their Budgets (WMT)
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical risk: coverage notes the Iran war and possible Strait of Hormuz disruptions could push supply-chain costs and retail prices higher — a margin and inflation risk for Walmart. How the Iran war could start to impact U.S. retail prices
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and sentiment pressure: commentary (247WallStreet) highlights retail investor criticism of WMT’s ~46x multiple and recent bearish social sentiment, raising the risk of multiple compression if growth disappoints. Reddit’s Loudest Walmart Critics Have a Point About That 46x Multiple

Walmart Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $126.52 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $123.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $111.95. The firm has a market cap of $1.01 trillion, a PE ratio of 46.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.71 and a beta of 0.66. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $79.81 and a twelve month 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 for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $188.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.66 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter 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. Analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Argus upgraded shares of Walmart to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $147.00 price target (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $135.76.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $482,583,689.39. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction of $4,158,004.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president 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 279,703 shares of company stock worth $34,140,843 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

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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