Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Buys 40,761 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI increased its Walmart stake by 41.6% in the fourth quarter, adding 40,761 shares to bring its total to 138,641 shares valued at about $15.4 million.
• Institutional investors remain heavily invested in Walmart, with major holders like Vanguard and State Street also raising positions; institutions collectively own 26.76% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive, with Walmart carrying a consensus Buy rating and an average price target of $138.88, while recent earnings beat expectations on both EPS and revenue.

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI grew its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 41.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 138,641 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 40,761 shares during the period. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI's holdings in Walmart were worth $15,446,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $49,015,626,000 after purchasing an additional 4,304,436 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $19,046,104,000 after purchasing an additional 2,242,364 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.6% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,298,623 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,153,176,000 after purchasing an additional 634,211 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.5% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 27,268,463 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,810,288,000 after purchasing an additional 934,468 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.4% in the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 24,990,692 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,575,541,000 after purchasing an additional 93,459 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total transaction of $2,555,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 486,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,203,571.56. This trade represents a 3.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,335 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.63, for a total value of $166,381.05. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 636,843 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $79,369,743.09. This trade represents a 0.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 167,195 shares of company stock valued at $20,975,804. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on WMT shares. Tigress Financial set a $150.00 target price on shares of Walmart and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, April 20th. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $130.00 target price (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Craig Hallum set a $150.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $137.00 target price (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $138.88.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UBS and other analysts expect Walmart to deliver another strong quarter, helped by resilient grocery demand, e-commerce growth, and advertising momentum, which could support the stock if results meet or exceed expectations.
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America said Walmart’s consistent sales growth should be rewarded by the market, reinforcing the view that WMT remains a defensive growth name ahead of earnings.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary also highlights Walmart as a long-term growth and momentum stock, with investors continuing to search for the name ahead of the report.
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart said it will host its first-quarter earnings conference call on May 21, keeping attention focused on upcoming results and guidance rather than any new business update. Walmart To Host First Quarter Earnings Conference Call May 21, 2026
• Negative Sentiment: One bearish analysis argued that expectations may be too high versus Walmart’s own guidance, warning that reported sales growth may not be enough to justify a further move higher and that investors may want to trim positions.

Walmart Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of WMT opened at $131.45 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $1.05 trillion, a PE ratio of 47.97, a P/E/G ratio of 4.93 and a beta of 0.65. The business has a fifty day moving average of $126.37 and a 200 day moving average of $119.15. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $93.43 and a 52-week high of $134.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.Walmart's revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.66 earnings per share. 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, sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Investors of record on Friday, December 11th will be given 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 currently 36.13%.

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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