Clear Trail Advisors LLC Invests $13.37 Million in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Clear Trail Advisors LLC purchased a new stake of 120,035 Walmart shares (~$13.37 million) in Q4, making WMT its 9th-largest holding at 3.1% of the firm's assets.
• Walmart slightly beat Q4 expectations (EPS $0.74 vs. $0.73; revenue $190.66B vs. $188.37B), set FY2027 EPS guidance of 2.75–2.85, and reported its ad business grew roughly 37%, boosting higher‑margin revenue prospects.
• Insider selling has been notable: CEO C. Douglas McMillon sold 19,416 shares and insiders sold 274,278 shares totaling about $33.6 million over the past 90 days, a potential sentiment/governance signal for investors.

Clear Trail Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 120,035 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $13,373,000. Walmart makes up 3.1% of Clear Trail Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 9th largest position.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Carderock Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $1,642,000. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 33.0% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,744,174 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $417,138,000 after acquiring an additional 930,035 shares during the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp boosted its stake in Walmart by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 23,452 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,613,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co. boosted its stake in Walmart by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Diversified Trust Co. now owns 99,593 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $11,096,000 after acquiring an additional 5,221 shares in the last quarter. Finally, McCollum Christoferson Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 21.5% during the fourth quarter. McCollum Christoferson Group LLC now owns 2,541 shares of the retailer's stock worth $283,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Friday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.83, for a total value of $2,171,291.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,315,333 shares in the company, valued at $482,583,689.39. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.99, for a total transaction of $1,574,868.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 727,155 shares in the company, valued at $87,251,328.45. This represents a 1.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 274,278 shares of company stock valued at $33,605,809. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $122.05 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.79. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $79.81 and a fifty-two week high of $134.69. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $124.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $113.24. The company has a market capitalization of $973.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.50 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. 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. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share 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 issued a $0.2475 dividend. 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 0.8%. Walmart's payout ratio is presently 36.13%.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s ad business surged ~37% in Q4, which boosts higher-margin revenue and could improve overall profitability going forward. Walmart's Ad Business Jumps 37%: Margin Upside Ahead?
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results beat consensus (EPS and revenue) and management set FY2027 EPS guidance (2.75–2.85), supporting the view that Walmart’s core retail performance and membership/ads mix are improving.
• Positive Sentiment: New national product distribution deals (example: Zep cleaning products now carried nationwide at Walmart) show ongoing assortment and supplier momentum that can drive traffic and category share. Zep Expands Home Pro Distribution at Walmart
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical/market commentary is highlighting Walmart as a buy point amid broader market weakness — useful for momentum traders but less material to fundamentals. Dow Jones discount retailer Walmart offers latest buy point amid market weakness
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry logistics moves — FedEx launching same‑day options as retailers (including Walmart) race to speed up delivery — are an operational/competitive factor to watch but not an immediate earnings shock. FedEx launches same-day delivery with OneRail
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest reports in the feed show zero or data anomalies (0 shares / NaN increases) and a days-to-cover of 0.0 — not currently informative for sentiment.
• Negative Sentiment: A plaintiffs’ law firm is investigating Walmart’s board for possible breach of fiduciary duty related to alleged deceptive pay practices for Spark drivers — a governance/legal risk that could lead to litigation or reputational costs. Berger Montague PC Investigates Walmart Board for Breach of Fiduciary Duty
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: the CEO reported selling roughly $1.6M of WMT stock — a signal some investors watch closely even though sales can be routine. Walmart CEO Sells $1,600,725.00 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst commentary questioning Walmart’s “all-weather” defensive status suggests valuation and crowding risks for investors who expect steady downside protection; this is a cautionary view on medium-term upside. Walmart: All-Weather Status Ironically Creates Risk For Investors

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on WMT shares. Roth Mkm reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $138.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $145.00 price target on Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. DA Davidson set a $150.00 price target on Walmart and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $140.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $135.76.

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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