Rossmore Private Capital Acquires 28,240 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Rossmore Private Capital increased its Walmart stake by 41.7% in the fourth quarter, buying 28,240 additional shares to bring its total holding to 96,032 shares worth about $10.7 million.
• Institutional investors remain heavily invested in Walmart, with major holders like Vanguard and State Street also adding shares; institutions now own 26.76% of the company.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on Walmart ahead of earnings, pointing to strong grocery demand, e-commerce growth, and advertising momentum, while the company’s next first-quarter earnings call is set for May 21.

Rossmore Private Capital grew its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 41.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 96,032 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 28,240 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for about 1.0% of Rossmore Private Capital's investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Rossmore Private Capital's holdings in Walmart were worth $10,721,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake 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 grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $19,046,104,000 after buying an additional 2,242,364 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.6% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,298,623 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,153,176,000 after buying an additional 634,211 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its stake in Walmart by 3.5% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 27,268,463 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,810,288,000 after purchasing an additional 934,468 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its stake in Walmart by 0.4% in the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 24,990,692 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,575,541,000 after purchasing an additional 93,459 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,335 shares of the company'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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 636,843 shares in the company, valued at $79,369,743.09. This represents a 0.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 16th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $74,334,117.76. This represents a 0.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 167,195 shares of company stock valued at $20,975,804 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UBS and other analysts expect Walmart to deliver another strong quarter, helped by resilient grocery demand, e-commerce growth, and advertising momentum, which could support the stock if results meet or exceed expectations.
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America said Walmart’s consistent sales growth should be rewarded by the market, reinforcing the view that WMT remains a defensive growth name ahead of earnings.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary also highlights Walmart as a long-term growth and momentum stock, with investors continuing to search for the name ahead of the report.
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart said it will host its first-quarter earnings conference call on May 21, keeping attention focused on upcoming results and guidance rather than any new business update. Walmart To Host First Quarter Earnings Conference Call May 21, 2026
• Negative Sentiment: One bearish analysis argued that expectations may be too high versus Walmart’s own guidance, warning that reported sales growth may not be enough to justify a further move higher and that investors may want to trim positions.

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock opened at $131.45 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $126.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $119.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm has a market cap of $1.05 trillion, a P/E ratio of 47.97, a P/E/G ratio of 4.85 and a beta of 0.65. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $93.43 and a twelve month high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business 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. On average, analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. Bank of America started coverage on Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 27th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $150.00 price objective on the stock. Craig Hallum set a $150.00 price objective on Walmart in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Raymond James Financial reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $135.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, March 6th. BTIG Research increased their price objective on Walmart from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, January 18th. Two research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $138.88.

Walmart Company 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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