Phoenix Financial Ltd. reduced its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 22.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 134,572 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 39,228 shares during the period. Phoenix Financial Ltd.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $15,012,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $49,015,626,000 after buying an additional 4,304,436 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer's stock worth $19,046,104,000 after acquiring an additional 2,242,364 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,298,623 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,153,176,000 after acquiring an additional 634,211 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its position in Walmart by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 27,268,463 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,810,288,000 after acquiring an additional 934,468 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its position in Walmart by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 24,990,692 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,575,541,000 after acquiring an additional 93,459 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.
Key Walmart News
Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:
- Positive Sentiment: UBS and other analysts expect Walmart to post a strong Q1, with sales growth and profit trends likely supporting another earnings beat. Walmart to Post Strong Q1, Extending Retail Lead on Sales Growth, UBS Says
- Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s earnings history and current setup suggest it could exceed expectations again, which is supporting bullish sentiment into the report. Walmart (WMT) Earnings Expected to Grow: What to Know Ahead of Next Week's Release
- Positive Sentiment: Walmart continues to attract bullish technical and style-score commentary, with multiple outlets calling it a long-term momentum name. Why Walmart (WMT) is a Top Momentum Stock for the Long-Term
- Positive Sentiment: Reports that grocery and restaurant prices are rising may support Walmart’s value proposition and traffic, since consumers often trade down to lower-cost retailers during inflationary periods. Grocery and Restaurant Prices Post Biggest Jump Since 2022
- Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is cutting or relocating about 1,000 corporate jobs as part of a broader restructuring and tech-focused operating simplification. The move could improve efficiency over time, but it also signals ongoing internal change. Walmart cutting or relocating about 1,000 corporate jobs
- Neutral Sentiment: Several recent articles highlighted continued restructuring and AI/technology investment, which may help long-term competitiveness but does not change the near-term earnings outlook by itself. Walmart Cuts Hundreds Of Corporate Jobs As AI-Driven Efficiency Push Accelerates: Report
Walmart Price Performance
Walmart stock opened at $132.46 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $91.89 and a 52 week high of $134.69. The company's 50 day moving average price is $126.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $119.06. The stock has a market cap of $1.06 trillion, a P/E ratio of 48.34, a P/E/G ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.65. 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 (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $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, equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current 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 0.7%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.13%.
Insider Activity
In other news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.21, for a total transaction of $2,566,989.36. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,193,995 shares in the company, valued at $554,488,078.95. The trade was a 0.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,335 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.63, for a total transaction of $166,381.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 636,843 shares in the company, valued at $79,369,743.09. This trade represents a 0.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 167,195 shares of company stock worth $20,975,804. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of brokerages have commented on WMT. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price objective on Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $150.00 target price on Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $140.00 target price (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 9th. HSBC downgraded Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $122.00 to $131.00 in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 price objective on Walmart in a research note 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $138.67.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on WMT
Walmart Profile
(
Free Report)
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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