Donoghue Forlines LLC Buys Shares of 20,248 Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Donoghue Forlines LLC disclosed a new fourth-quarter stake in Walmart, buying 20,248 shares valued at about $2.26 million. Several other smaller institutional investors also added or increased positions in the retailer.
• Walmart’s recent results were strong, with EPS of $0.74 and revenue of $190.66 billion, both ahead of analyst expectations. Revenue rose 5.6% year over year, and the company also increased its guidance outlook.
• Wall Street sentiment remains upbeat, with multiple firms raising price targets and maintaining Buy or better ratings. The stock is also getting support from expectations of another earnings beat and continued momentum in a challenging consumer environment.

Donoghue Forlines LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 20,248 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $2,256,000.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 57.4% in the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UBS and other analysts expect Walmart to post a strong Q1, with sales growth and profit trends likely supporting another earnings beat. Walmart to Post Strong Q1, Extending Retail Lead on Sales Growth, UBS Says
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s earnings history and current setup suggest it could exceed expectations again, which is supporting bullish sentiment into the report. Walmart (WMT) Earnings Expected to Grow: What to Know Ahead of Next Week's Release
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart continues to attract bullish technical and style-score commentary, with multiple outlets calling it a long-term momentum name. Why Walmart (WMT) is a Top Momentum Stock for the Long-Term
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that grocery and restaurant prices are rising may support Walmart’s value proposition and traffic, since consumers often trade down to lower-cost retailers during inflationary periods. Grocery and Restaurant Prices Post Biggest Jump Since 2022
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is cutting or relocating about 1,000 corporate jobs as part of a broader restructuring and tech-focused operating simplification. The move could improve efficiency over time, but it also signals ongoing internal change. Walmart cutting or relocating about 1,000 corporate jobs
• Neutral Sentiment: Several recent articles highlighted continued restructuring and AI/technology investment, which may help long-term competitiveness but does not change the near-term earnings outlook by itself. Walmart Cuts Hundreds Of Corporate Jobs As AI-Driven Efficiency Push Accelerates: Report

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total transaction of $1,214,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president 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. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the business's 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 486,764 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $62,203,571.56. This represents a 3.95% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 167,195 shares of company stock worth $20,975,804. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Walmart Stock Up 0.8%

Walmart stock opened at $132.46 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.06 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.34, a P/E/G ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.65. 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 fifty-two week low of $91.89 and a fifty-two week high of $134.69. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $126.30 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $119.06.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion during 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 business's revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $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. As a group, analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be given 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 yield of 0.7%. Walmart's payout ratio is currently 36.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. Craig Hallum set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $147.00 price objective (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 27th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $147.00 price objective (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Argus raised shares of Walmart to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $138.67.

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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