Godsey & Gibb Inc. Takes $3.29 Million Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Godsey & Gibb Inc. opened a new stake in Walmart during the 4th quarter, acquiring 29,525 shares valued at approximately $3.29 million, according to the firm's latest 13F filing.
• Company insiders sold 263,376 shares worth about $32.6 million in the last quarter, including EVP John D. Rainey (20,000 shares at $127.79) and CEO John R. Furner (13,125 shares at $124.84), with at least some sales executed under a Rule 10b5-1 plan.
• Walmart is pushing growth via omnichannel and fulfillment upgrades, a revamp of its Great Value private‑label, and healthcare expansion, while analysts maintain a consensus Buy rating with a $137.64 price target.

Godsey & Gibb Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 29,525 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $3,289,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 28.8% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,868,000 after acquiring an additional 21,939 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer's stock worth $800,000 after buying an additional 485 shares during the period. Peterson Wealth Management increased its holdings in Walmart by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Peterson Wealth Management now owns 50,307 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,416,000 after buying an additional 1,715 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 13,008 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,272,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the period. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its holdings in Walmart by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 91,341 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,931,000 after buying an additional 1,048 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total value of $2,555,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 486,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,203,571.56. This represents a 3.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.84, for a total value of $1,638,525.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 674,162 shares in the company, valued at approximately $84,162,384.08. This represents a 1.91% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 263,376 shares of company stock worth $32,598,466. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $147.00 price target (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Argus upgraded shares of Walmart to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Tigress Financial set a $150.00 price target on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, January 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $137.64.

Walmart Trading Up 1.3%

Walmart stock opened at $129.60 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $91.89 and a 12 month high of $134.69. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $125.67 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $116.44. The firm has a market cap of $1.03 trillion, a PE ratio of 47.30, a P/E/G ratio of 4.76 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The business had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.66 EPS. The business's quarterly 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. Analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a $0.2475 dividend. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.13%.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is accelerating omnichannel and fulfillment upgrades — testing back‑room staging for same‑day delivery, expanding pickup/delivery infrastructure, and planning 650+ remodels plus ~20 new stores to support faster fulfillment and e‑commerce growth. These moves aim to cut delivery times vs. competitors and monetize store footprint. Walmart Eyes Stores as Warehouse Space for Same-Day Delivery (FT)
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is revamping its Great Value private‑label (nearly 10,000 items) and modernizing stores/marketplace offerings to sharpen value perception and margins — a direct play to capture budget-conscious shoppers and boost private-label profitability. Walmart Revamps ‘Great Value’ Brand (Reuters coverage)
• Positive Sentiment: Healthcare expansion: Walmart is expanding Better Care Services to include GLP‑1 weight‑management support and integrated virtual care + pharmacy access — a potentially high‑margin, recurring service channel that diversifies revenue beyond retail. Walmart Boosts Growth Playbook With Healthcare, Omnichannel Push
• Positive Sentiment: Market attention and dividend appeal — coverage highlighting Walmart as a reliable dividend/value retailer and a “trending” pick is supporting demand from income and large‑cap investors amid broader market weakness. 3 Dividend Stocks There's No Need to Second-Guess (Fool)
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks and Yahoo pieces note high retail investor interest in WMT and summarize prospects — useful for understanding sentiment flow but not a direct catalyst. Walmart Is a Trending Stock (Zacks)
• Negative Sentiment: Legal/reputational risk: a California judge’s price‑fixing claims against Amazon included allegations that Amazon asked vendors to pressure retailers like Walmart to raise prices — any linkage to Walmart could create regulatory or PR headwinds even if Walmart is not a primary target. California says Amazon coerced companies into raising prices (Business Insider)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: an EVP reported a roughly $362k stock sale — small dollar amount relative to Walmart’s market cap, but often noted by investors as a minor caution. Insider Selling: Walmart EVP Sells Stock

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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