E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. Purchases 15,949 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. sharply increased its Walmart stake in the fourth quarter, buying 15,949 additional shares and lifting its holdings to 15,976 shares worth about $1.78 million.
• Walmart reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $0.74 versus $0.73 expected and revenue of $190.66 billion, up 5.6% year over year.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish on Walmart, with multiple firms raising price targets and the stock carrying a consensus Buy rating and average price target of $138.67.

E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. grew its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 59,070.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 15,976 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 15,949 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for approximately 0.7% of E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,780,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Western Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 70,209 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $7,822,000 after acquiring an additional 4,374 shares during the last quarter. Atlas Private Wealth Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Atlas Private Wealth Advisors now owns 2,903 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $323,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 331,395 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $36,921,000 after acquiring an additional 8,071 shares during the last quarter. Freemont Management S.A. lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 196.4% in the 4th quarter. Freemont Management S.A. now owns 8,300 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $925,000 after acquiring an additional 5,500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC now owns 36,073 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,019,000 after acquiring an additional 258 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $131.47 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $126.21 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $118.87. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $91.89 and a 1-year high of $134.69. The company has a market cap of $1.05 trillion, a P/E ratio of 47.98, a PEG ratio of 4.85 and a beta of 0.65.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.66 EPS. The business's revenue 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. As a group, analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.13%.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s restructuring appears aimed at streamlining operations and improving coordination across tech and AI teams, which could boost efficiency and profitability if executed well.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary ahead of earnings remains constructive, with reports highlighting Walmart’s strong earnings-surprise track record and arguing that its premium valuation is justified by growth and execution.
• Positive Sentiment: Pre-earnings research from major analysts has reiterated favorable views on Walmart, suggesting expectations remain high heading into the company’s quarterly report.
• Neutral Sentiment: The job cuts were reported to be part of an internal reorganization rather than a direct response to AI replacing workers, which limits the read-through to near-term fundamentals. Walmart lays off or relocates about 1,000 corporate workers, WSJ reports
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles also framed the move as a broader digital-transformation effort, but the actual earnings impact is still unclear until Walmart reports results and guidance.
• Negative Sentiment: Layoffs can sometimes signal management caution or cost pressure, and investor reaction may be tempered by the fact that Walmart’s shares already trade at a premium valuation ahead of earnings.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on WMT. DA Davidson set a $150.00 price target on Walmart and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $145.00 target price (up from $128.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $140.00 target price (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $138.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 target price (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $138.67.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.84, for a total transaction of $1,638,525.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 674,162 shares in the company, valued at approximately $84,162,384.08. This trade represents a 1.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.72, for a total value of $361,688.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 596,008 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $74,334,117.76. The trade was a 0.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 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 worth $20,975,804. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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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