Narus Financial Partners LLC Sells 1,399,437 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Narus Financial Partners cut its Walmart stake by 98.3%, selling 1,399,437 shares in Q3 and retaining 23,663 shares worth about $2.44M (Walmart is ~2.6% of the fund's holdings).
• Insider and institutional selling is notable: EVP John D. Rainey and CEO C. Douglas McMillon recently sold shares, and insiders have offloaded 261,153 shares (~$32.0M) over the past 90 days, which could weigh on sentiment.
• Analysts maintain a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of ~$135.76 after Walmart posted a slight earnings beat (EPS $0.74 vs. $0.73) and 5.6% revenue growth, and set FY27 guidance of $2.75–$2.85 EPS.

Narus Financial Partners LLC lowered its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 98.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 23,663 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 1,399,437 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up approximately 2.6% of Narus Financial Partners LLC's holdings, making the stock its 7th biggest holding. Narus Financial Partners LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $2,439,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc lifted its holdings in Walmart by 212.6% during the 3rd 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. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and set a $125.00 target price (up from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $150.00 price target on Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. 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. KeyCorp reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $145.00 price objective (up from $128.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, January 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $135.76.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.27, for a total transaction of $2,445,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 506,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,962,034.28. The trade was a 3.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.83, for a total transaction of $2,171,291.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,315,333 shares of the company's stock, valued at $482,583,689.39. The trade was a 0.45% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 261,153 shares of company stock worth $32,005,084 over the last ninety days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $121.08 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $123.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of $112.59. The stock has a market cap of $965.30 billion, a PE ratio of 44.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $79.81 and a 12 month high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 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 analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.66 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. 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 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Investors of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a $0.2475 dividend. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.31%.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unusual bullish options activity — traders bought ~169,565 WMT call contracts (≈+42% vs. typical daily call volume), signaling short‑term bullish bets that can support upside if sentiment continues.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is being highlighted as an AI investment play—articles argue AI deployments across supply chain and pricing could raise efficiency and long‑term profitability. Forget Chipmakers: Walmart and Target Are the Real AI Plays
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart secured U.S. machine‑learning patents for pricing systems — a potential competitive edge to optimize margins and pricing strategies. Walmart Secures Machine Learning Patents for Pricing Items
• Positive Sentiment: Marketplace/Dropshipping integration with Doba expands Walmart Marketplace’s seller capabilities and could aid e‑commerce revenue growth. Doba Announces Verified Technical Integration with Walmart Marketplace to Empower Dropshipping Sellers
• Positive Sentiment: Positive analyst/retail commentary — some investors are bullish on Walmart’s expanding e‑commerce and advertising businesses as drivers of future growth. 1 Stock I Plan to Load Up On in 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO transition coverage — analysis of managing leadership change notes both downside risk and opportunity; impact depends on specifics and investor reaction over time. How to Play 3 Major CEO Transitions in Early 2026 (WMT)
• Neutral Sentiment: PhonePe IPO pause — Walmart‑backed PhonePe delaying IPO due to market volatility is a timing risk for potential value realization, but not an immediate operational hit to Walmart. Walmart-backed PhonePe pauses IPO plans as Middle East conflict fuels market volatility
• Negative Sentiment: Shareholder law firm is investigating Walmart’s board over alleged deceptive pay practices for Spark drivers — potential legal, financial and governance risks that can weigh on sentiment and create downside risk. Berger Montague PC Investigates Walmart Inc.'s Board of Directors for Breach of Fiduciary Duty NASDAQ: WMT

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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