James Investment Research Inc. Sells 7,868 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• James Investment Research trimmed its stake in Walmart by 4.5%, selling 7,868 shares and ending the quarter with 165,373 shares worth about $18.42 million.
• Company insiders sold a combined 263,376 shares (≈$32.85 million) over the last quarter — including EVP Christopher Nicholas and EVP John Rainey — leaving insiders with about 0.10% ownership.
• Walmart has a market cap of about $1.02 trillion2.75–2.85, and carries an average analyst rating of Buy with a consensus target near $137.79.

James Investment Research Inc. decreased its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 4.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 165,373 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 7,868 shares during the period. Walmart makes up 2.0% of James Investment Research Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. James Investment Research Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $18,424,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WMT. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 28.8% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $8,868,000 after buying an additional 21,939 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $800,000 after buying an additional 485 shares during the period. Peterson Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Walmart by 3.5% in the first quarter. Peterson Wealth Management now owns 50,307 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,416,000 after buying an additional 1,715 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Walmart by 0.9% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 13,008 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,272,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the period. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 1.2% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 91,341 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $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.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 16th. The shares were 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 directly owned 596,008 shares of the company's stock, valued at $74,334,117.76. The trade was a 0.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company's stock, valued at $62,203,571.56. The trade was a 3.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 263,376 shares of company stock valued at $32,851,650 over the last quarter. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $127.59 on Tuesday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $125.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $117.21. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $91.89 and a 1-year high of $134.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.02 trillion, a P/E ratio of 46.57, a P/E/G ratio of 4.84 and a beta of 0.66. 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 (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The firm 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 business earned $0.66 earnings per share. 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. Equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Walmart's payout ratio is presently 36.13%.

Walmart News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts note Walmart’s earnings mix is shifting toward higher‑margin streams—advertising, memberships and e‑commerce—which helped Q4 profits outpace sales and could support margin resiliency going forward. Walmart Builds Diversified Profit Streams
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart Connect expanded CTV advertising tools (Connect Select marketplace + more partner integrations), a product push that can accelerate ad revenue growth by making streaming buys easier for mid‑sized advertisers. This reinforces the company’s strategy to diversify revenue beyond retail sales. Walmart Simplifies Streaming Ads for Mid-Sized Business
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart launched an exclusive U.S. partnership to roll out ARIH, a BTS‑linked food & beverage brand, across stores and online—a targeted merchandising play to attract younger, culturally engaged shoppers and drive store and e‑commerce traffic. Walmart Bets On BTS ARIH Brand To Refresh Omni Channel Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Retail investor commentary places WMT among “best quality” dividend stocks on Reddit compilations—highlighting Walmart’s scale, dividend yield and steady cash flow as supportive of long‑term investor interest. (Coverage appeared across retail finance sites.) Is Walmart (WMT) One of the Best Quality Dividend Stocks to Buy According to Reddit?
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the operational positives, WMT shares sold off today while the broader market advanced; media coverage highlighted the drop, which may reflect short‑term profit‑taking, valuation concerns (WMT’s premium P/E) or rotation away from defensive/retail names. Walmart (WMT) Stock Drops Despite Market Gains: Important Facts to Note

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating and issued a $145.00 target price (up from $136.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Argus upgraded shares of Walmart to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $134.00 target price (up from $129.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, BTIG Research restated a "buy" rating and issued a $140.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $137.79.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.