Clark Capital Management Group Inc. Increases Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Clark Capital Management Group increased its stake in Walmart by 1.9% in Q3, adding 14,213 shares to own 748,807 shares valued at about $77.17 million.
• Other large institutional moves included Vanguard holding 431.8 million shares (~$42.2 billion), AQR and Amundi materially increasing positions, and Norges Bank establishing a multi-billion-dollar stake, with ~26.8% of stock owned by hedge funds and institutions.
• Walmart reported continued digital strength—eCommerce grew ~24% in the fiscal fourth quarter and revenue beat estimates—yet the stock trades at a rich ~46x P/E, leaving valuation and execution risks despite a consensus "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $135.76.

Clark Capital Management Group Inc. boosted its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 1.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 748,807 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 14,213 shares during the period. Clark Capital Management Group Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $77,172,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the second quarter worth about $5,367,770,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 9,648.7% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,486,374 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,123,138,000 after buying an additional 11,368,549 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 188.1% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,199,907,000 after buying an additional 7,614,172 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Walmart by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 431,817,510 shares of the retailer's stock worth $42,223,116,000 after buying an additional 5,856,468 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi grew its stake in Walmart by 20.5% in the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 23,497,921 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,413,236,000 after buying an additional 4,004,277 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart News Summary

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on WMT shares. HSBC cut shares of Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $122.00 to $131.00 in a report on Friday, February 20th. Craig Hallum set a $150.00 price target on Walmart in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 price objective on Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price objective on Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Erste Group Bank restated a "hold" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. One equities research 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 company. According to MarketBeat, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $135.76.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.10, for a total value of $1,694,437.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 591,084 shares of the company's stock, valued at $76,308,944.40. This trade represents a 2.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total value of $1,214,600.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 108,294 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,153,389.24. The trade was a 8.45% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 279,703 shares of company stock worth $34,140,843. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Walmart Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $126.52 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $123.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $111.95. The company has a market cap of $1.01 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.18, a PEG ratio of 4.71 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.24. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $79.81 and a one year high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.66 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. 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 anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS 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 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 dividend payout ratio is currently 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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