Handelsbanken Fonder AB Increases Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its Walmart stake by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, buying 24,378 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 1,760,513 shares worth about $196.1 million.
• Several other large institutional investors, including Vanguard and State Street, also added to their Walmart positions, while hedge fund ownership of the company remains significant at 26.76%.
• Insiders sold shares recently, including CEO John R. Furner and EVP Christopher James Nicholas, even as Walmart continued to post solid results and analysts maintained a consensus Buy rating with an average price target of $138.88.

Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,760,513 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 24,378 shares during the period. Walmart comprises approximately 0.6% of Handelsbanken Fonder AB's investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Handelsbanken Fonder AB's holdings in Walmart were worth $196,139,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted 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 during the period. State Street Corp boosted 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 during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted 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 during the period. Legal & General Group Plc boosted 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 during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. boosted 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 during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.72, for a total transaction of $361,688.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 596,008 shares in the company, valued at $74,334,117.76. This represents a 0.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.84, for a total value of $1,638,525.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 674,162 shares of the company's stock, 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. Insiders have sold 167,190 shares of company stock valued at $20,975,838 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s push into AI and automation could support margins over time by improving fulfillment efficiency, boosting order values, and lowering operating costs. Walmart's AI and Automation Push: Long-Term Cost Advantage?
• Positive Sentiment: Investor focus is turning to Walmart’s upcoming earnings report, with analysts watching key operating metrics beyond revenue and EPS for signs that the business is still executing well. Exploring Analyst Estimates for Walmart (WMT) Q1 Earnings, Beyond Revenue and EPS
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart remains a favored defensive retail name as investors compare it with other consumer staples and grocery operators during a volatile market backdrop. Forget Walmart. The Grocer Beating It on Trust and Margin Trades at a Third of the Multiple
• Neutral Sentiment: Several hedge fund filings showed mixed positioning in Walmart, with some managers adding shares and others trimming, which does not clearly change the near-term outlook. Moore Capital Management Boosts Walmart Stake by 3,454 Shares
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,250 shares in a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 transaction, adding a small insider-sale headline that may slightly pressure sentiment. SEC Form 4 filing
• Negative Sentiment: Broader market attention on geopolitical risk, including the Strait of Hormuz closure, may keep investors cautious and can weigh on sentiment even for defensive stocks like Walmart. NVDA, WMT Report This Week, but News on the Strait Is Key

Walmart Stock Up 1.4%

Walmart stock opened at $133.34 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $126.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $119.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm has a market cap of $1.06 trillion, a P/E ratio of 48.66, a P/E/G ratio of 4.85 and a beta of 0.65. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $93.43 and a twelve month high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted 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 company had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 quarter in the prior year, the business 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, analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.13%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $138.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $145.00 price objective (up from $128.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $127.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Craig Hallum set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $138.88.

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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