M&T Bank Corp Purchases 51,727 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• M&T Bank Corp boosted its Walmart position by 8.6% in Q4, buying 51,727 shares to own 649,809 shares valued at about $72.4 million.
• Q4 results: Walmart beat expectations with $0.74 EPS (vs. $0.73 est.) and $190.66 billion in revenue, and set FY2027 guidance of $2.75–2.85 EPS (analysts average ~2.89 EPS).
• Analyst sentiment: Multiple brokers raised price targets and the consensus rating is "Buy" with an average target of $137.79.

M&T Bank Corp grew its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 8.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 649,809 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 51,727 shares during the quarter. M&T Bank Corp's holdings in Walmart were worth $72,395,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Collier Financial bought a new stake in Walmart during the third quarter worth $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new stake in Walmart during the third quarter worth $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Walmart during the third quarter worth $30,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new stake in Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Roble Belko & Company Inc grew its holdings in Walmart by 212.6% during the third quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 322 shares of the retailer's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $131.60 on Monday. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $91.89 and a one year high of $134.69. 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 business's fifty day moving average price is $125.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $117.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.05 trillion, a PE ratio of 48.03, a P/E/G ratio of 4.90 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 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.66 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter 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. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,335 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.63, for a total transaction of $166,381.05. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 636,843 shares in the company, valued at approximately $79,369,743.09. The trade was a 0.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 16th. The shares were 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 in the company, 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. Insiders sold a total of 243,376 shares of company stock worth $30,406,250 in the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WMT. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $147.00 price target (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $140.00 price objective (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. HSBC cut Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $122.00 to $131.00 in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Tigress Financial set a $150.00 price objective on Walmart and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their price objective on Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Two research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $137.79.

Walmart News Roundup

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

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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