Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd Acquires 68,303 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd increased its Walmart stake by 7.6% in the fourth quarter, buying 68,303 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 967,583 shares worth about $107.8 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains bullish on Walmart, with several analysts raising price targets and the company maintaining a consensus Buy rating and average target price of $138.09.
• Walmart posted solid recent results, beating earnings and revenue expectations in its latest quarter and seeing revenue rise 5.6% year over year, while also continuing to expand operations and product offerings.

Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd lifted its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 7.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 967,583 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 68,303 shares during the quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd's holdings in Walmart were worth $107,798,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Collier Financial purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter worth $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter worth $28,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 57.4% in the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen boosted its price target on Walmart to $150 and kept a Buy rating, which supports sentiment around the stock. Walmart (WMT) Gets a Buy from TD Cowen
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart was included among the 10 best inflation-hedge stocks for 2026, reinforcing its defensive appeal if consumer budgets remain tight. Walmart (WMT) – Among the 10 Best Inflation-Hedge Stocks to Buy for 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Another write-up echoed the inflation-hedge theme and TD Cowen’s raised target, adding to the bullish analyst narrative. Walmart (WMT) – Among the 10 Best Inflation-Hedge Stocks to Buy for 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart opened a third U.S. milk processing facility, which may support supply-chain control and lower long-term costs. Walmart Inc. (WMT) Opens Third Milk Processing Facility in the United States, Reuters Reports
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart expanded its wellness aisles with exclusive men’s grooming and women’s health products, which could help drive traffic and sales in higher-margin categories. Walmart Expands Wellness Aisles With Exclusive Grooming And Women’s Health Lines
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage ahead of retail earnings highlighted Walmart as a key read on consumer spending, but this is more of a macro watch item than a direct catalyst. Retail Earnings Will Show How Much Pressure Consumers Are Under
• Neutral Sentiment: CNBC noted that higher-income shoppers are helping drive Walmart’s strength this year, underscoring a favorable demand mix. Walmart has been on fire this year. How high earners are driving up the stock
• Neutral Sentiment: BTIG Research also issued a positive outlook on Walmart, adding to the broader analyst support. BTIG Research Issues Positive Forecast for Walmart NASDAQ: WMT Stock Price

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Tigress Financial set a $150.00 target price on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Argus raised shares of Walmart to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $138.09.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $130.43 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $125.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $118.22. The company has a market cap of $1.04 trillion, a P/E ratio of 47.60, a PEG ratio of 4.86 and a beta of 0.65. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $91.89 and a 12-month high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.66 EPS. 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 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $0.2475 per share. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. Walmart's payout ratio is presently 36.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.96, for a total value of $1,600,725.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 687,287 shares of the company's stock, valued at $83,821,522.52. This represents a 1.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total transaction of $2,555,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 486,764 shares in the company, valued at $62,203,571.56. This represents a 3.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 167,195 shares of company stock worth $20,975,804. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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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