Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS Trims Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Kornitzer Capital Management trimmed its Walmart stake by 2.2% in Q4, selling 11,571 shares to hold 507,733 shares worth about $56.57 million, making Walmart ~1.2% of the firm's portfolio and its 19th largest holding.
• Insiders have been net sellers: EVP Christopher Nicholas and EVP John Rainey sold 2,900 and 20,000 shares respectively (some transactions executed under Rule 10b5‑1 plans), and insiders sold 263,376 shares valued at ~$32.85 million over the past 90 days, leaving insiders with ~0.10% ownership.
• Analyst and earnings backdrop: Walmart has a MarketBeat consensus "Buy" rating with a $137.79 target; the company slightly beat Q4 EPS and revenue, set FY2027 EPS guidance of $2.75–$2.85, and trades with a ~$1.05 trillion market cap.

Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS decreased its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 2.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 507,733 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 11,571 shares during the period. Walmart comprises approximately 1.2% of Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS's holdings, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS's holdings in Walmart were worth $56,567,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WMT. Collier Financial bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 193.0% during the 4th quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the firm's 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 596,008 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $74,334,117.76. This trade represents a 0.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, 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. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 263,376 shares of company stock valued at $32,851,650. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating and set a $147.00 price target (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, January 18th. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Tigress Financial set a $150.00 price objective on Walmart and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Craig Hallum set a $150.00 price objective on Walmart in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $137.79.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $131.60 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The company has a market cap of $1.05 trillion, a P/E ratio of 48.03, a PEG ratio of 4.91 and a beta of 0.65. The stock's 50-day moving average is $125.60 and its 200 day moving average is $117.56. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $91.89 and a 1-year high of $134.69.

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 the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company 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. Research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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 $0.2475 dividend. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.13%.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart announced a third U.S. milk-processing facility, a $350 million investment to boost domestic dairy supply and vertical integration, which should cut supply-chain risk and support grocery margins. Walmart opens third U.S. milk processing facility with $350 million investment
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart earmarked millions for multiple Arizona store upgrades — investments that can boost traffic, comps and localized competitiveness. Walmart earmarks millions for multiple Arizona store upgrades
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional investor Alecta increased its Walmart stake by ~406,400 shares, a sign of confidence from a large pension investor. Alecta Pensionsforsakring Boosts Walmart Stake by 406,400 Shares
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is expanding local-product assortments (e.g., region-specific coffee/beans) to better serve price‑sensitive consumers and differentiate merchandising — a low-cost way to improve basket relevance. Walmart Eyes Local Products as National Consumer Mood Sours
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and analyst pieces debate Walmart vs. Costco and reiterate bullish theses on WMT’s e‑commerce gains and higher‑income customer mix — these keep sentiment constructive but don’t change fundamentals immediately. Better Buy: Walmart or Costco Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Several bullish write-ups (Yahoo/InsiderMonkey summarizing a Substack thesis) highlight valuation and growth arguments; useful for sentiment but not new company action. Is Walmart Inc. (WMT) A Good Stock To Buy Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart’s Acres for America grants program awarded $5.4M in conservation grants — positive for ESG profile but limited direct financial impact. NFWF Announces $5.4 Million in Grants from Walmart's Acres for America Program
• Neutral Sentiment: Internal leadership redesign (changes to store-lead roles and retention moves for high-paid managers) suggests workforce optimization; could reduce costs or create short-term disruption depending on execution. Walmart redesigns its leadership pipeline as managers making $400K stay for longer

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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