US Bancorp DE Reduces Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• US Bancorp DE reduced its Walmart stake by 2.4% in Q4, selling 138,729 shares and now holds 5,601,651 shares valued at about $624.08 million, making WMT its 25th-largest holding.
• Several large institutions (Vanguard, State Street, Fisher, Legal & General) mostly increased positions and institutional investors own 26.76% of Walmart; analysts' consensus is a Buy with an average target of $137.79.
• Walmart posted an EPS beat of $0.74 vs. $0.73 and revenue of $190.66B (up 5.6% YoY), set FY2027 guidance of $2.75–$2.85 EPS, and declared a $0.2475 quarterly dividend (0.8% yield).

US Bancorp DE decreased its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 2.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,601,651 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 138,729 shares during the period. Walmart comprises approximately 0.7% of US Bancorp DE's holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. US Bancorp DE owned about 0.07% of Walmart worth $624,080,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Walmart by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer's stock worth $49,015,626,000 after buying an additional 4,304,436 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in Walmart by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer's stock worth $19,046,104,000 after buying an additional 2,242,364 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,298,623 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,153,176,000 after buying an additional 634,211 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in Walmart by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 27,268,463 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,810,288,000 after buying an additional 934,468 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its stake in Walmart by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 24,990,692 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,575,541,000 after buying an additional 93,459 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Trading Up 3.1%

NASDAQ WMT opened at $131.93 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $91.89 and a one year high of $134.69. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $125.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $117.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.05 trillion, a PE ratio of 48.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.77 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The business had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.66 EPS. 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. On average, equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be issued a $0.2475 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Walmart's payout ratio is 36.13%.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Large supply‑chain investment — Walmart opened its third owned milk processing facility (Robinson, TX) and is investing in milk capacity to strengthen domestic supply, lower costs and secure private‑label supply chains, which supports margin and product availability. Walmart Opens Third Owned and Operated Milk Processing Facility in Robinson, Texas, Creating More Than 400 New Jobs Walmart invests in new milk plant to grow US supply chain
• Positive Sentiment: Leadership redesign aimed at retention and execution — Walmart is eliminating the "store lead" role while expanding higher‑paid managerial positions to keep senior managers longer and accelerate store execution and merchandising (including a fashion push). Investors view this as a move to improve in‑store performance and strategic initiatives. Walmart redesigns its leadership pipeline as managers making $400K stay for longer
• Positive Sentiment: Local assortment strategy — Walmart is expanding local products in select markets to better match tightened consumer budgets and preferences, a tactical move that can drive traffic and margins in price‑sensitive areas. Walmart Eyes Local Products as National Consumer Mood Sours
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying — Alecta Pensionsforsakring increased its Walmart stake, a signal of confidence from a large investor that can support the stock. Alecta Pensionsforsakring Boosts Walmart Stake by 406,400 Shares
• Neutral Sentiment: Local store capital projects — Walmart is earmarking millions for upgrades at multiple Arizona stores; store refreshes can boost sales but also represent near‑term capital spend. Walmart earmarks millions for multiple Arizona store upgrades
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and media bullish coverage — Several pieces summarize bullish theses on WMT and recommend the stock as retail sentiment improves; these articles can reinforce positive investor sentiment but are not new company actions. Is Walmart Inc. (WMT) A Good Stock To Buy Now? Is Walmart Inc. (WMT) A Good Stock To Buy Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate social impact — Walmart’s Acres for America grants were announced; positive for ESG profile but unlikely to move near‑term fundamentals. NFWF Announces $5.4 Million in Grants from Walmart's Acres for America Program
• Negative Sentiment: Cost and near‑term margin risk — The combination of higher‑paid manager roles and heavy capital/supply‑chain investments (e.g., $350M+ milk facilities) could weigh on near‑term margins and free cash flow before benefits are realized. Walmart eliminates store lead positions as managers making $400K stay for longer

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on WMT. DA Davidson set a $150.00 price target on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. HSBC downgraded shares of 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 note on Friday, February 20th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $120.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Argus raised shares of Walmart to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $137.79.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Donna Morris sold 76,181 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.79, for a total value of $9,430,445.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 402,072 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $49,772,492.88. The trade was a 15.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 506,764 shares of the company's stock, valued at $61,962,034.28. This trade represents a 3.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 263,376 shares of company stock worth $32,851,650. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

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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