Truist Financial Corp Grows Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Truist increased its stake in Walmart by 1.2% in Q4 to 3,848,857 shares (an additional 45,500 shares), with holdings valued at about $428.8 million per its latest 13F filing.
• Company initiatives: Walmart is investing $350 million in a third U.S. milk‑processing facility and funding store upgrades and expanded local‑product assortments to reduce supply‑chain risk, support grocery margins, and boost traffic.
• Financials and outlook: Walmart modestly beat Q4 estimates (EPS $0.74 vs. $0.73; revenue $190.66B, +5.6% Y/Y), provided FY2027 EPS guidance of 2.750–2.850, and holds an average analyst rating of "Buy" with a $137.79 average price target.

Truist Financial Corp increased its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 1.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,848,857 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 45,500 shares during the period. Truist Financial Corp's holdings in Walmart were worth $428,801,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Collier Financial purchased a new position in Walmart in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP purchased a new position in Walmart in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the third quarter worth about $30,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Roble Belko & Company Inc grew its position in Walmart by 212.6% in the third quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 322 shares of the retailer's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

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 Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $131.60 on Monday. 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 company has a market cap of $1.05 trillion, a P/E ratio of 48.03, a PEG ratio of 4.90 and a beta of 0.65. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $91.89 and a 1 year high of $134.69. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $125.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $117.74.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $190.66 billion during 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 firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm 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. Research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid a $0.2475 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.13%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.72, for a total transaction of $361,688.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 596,008 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $74,334,117.76. The trade was a 0.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total transaction of $2,555,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 486,764 shares of the company's stock, valued at $62,203,571.56. This represents a 3.95% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 243,376 shares of company stock valued at $30,406,250 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on WMT. Roth Mkm reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $138.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $147.00 price target (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $145.00 price target (up from $136.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. HSBC lowered Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $122.00 to $131.00 in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 27th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company. Two 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $137.79.

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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