Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Acquired by Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its Walmart stake by 1.0% in Q4 and now owns 2,843,072 shares (an additional 27,276) valued at $315,971,000, making WMT its 21st-largest holding (~0.5% of the fund).
• Walmart beat quarterly estimates with EPS of $0.74 vs. $0.73 and revenue of $190.66 billion vs. $188.37 billion (revenue +5.6% YoY), and it set FY2027 guidance of $2.75–$2.85 EPS (analysts forecast ~2.89 EPS for the year).
• Management is pursuing new growth initiatives—launching an Upstream Facility Services unit, one‑hour Sam’s Club delivery, healthcare/omnichannel expansions and a Great Value revamp—which, alongside analyst upgrades (Morgan Stanley PT $140) and a consensus "Buy" rating, is supporting positive sentiment toward the stock.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,843,072 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 27,276 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises about 0.5% of Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH's holdings, making the stock its 21st largest position. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH's holdings in Walmart were worth $315,971,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 188.1% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,199,907,000 after acquiring an additional 7,614,172 shares during the last quarter. Amundi raised its holdings in Walmart by 20.5% in the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 23,497,921 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,413,236,000 after acquiring an additional 4,004,277 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Walmart by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 435,652,710 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $44,898,368,000 after acquiring an additional 3,835,200 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth $294,621,000. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1,991.9% during the second quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 2,549,719 shares of the retailer's stock worth $249,312,000 after purchasing an additional 2,427,834 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

Walmart stock opened at $129.98 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $1.04 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.83 and a beta of 0.66. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $91.89 and a 12 month high of $134.69. 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 stock's 50-day moving average is $125.70 and its 200-day moving average is $116.53.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The business had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.66 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter 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. Equities analysts anticipate 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 paid a $0.2475 dividend. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.71, for a total transaction of $2,460,201.36. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,023,209 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $509,780,812.39. This represents a 0.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total value of $4,158,004.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 533,466 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $65,082,852. This represents a 6.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 243,960 shares of company stock worth $30,284,661. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart announced a new business unit, Upstream Facility Services, to sell maintenance services to other businesses — a push to monetize logistics/operations expertise beyond retail that could add recurring revenue and higher-margin service income. Walmart Inc. (WMT) Diversifies Beyond Retail Into Maintenance Services
• Positive Sentiment: Sam’s Club launched a one‑hour delivery option for members, escalating competition with Costco and Amazon on convenience and helping Walmart drive higher basket frequency and membership value. Faster delivery supports digital growth and same‑day monetization. Walmart's warehouse club ups the pressure on Costco with a new member perk
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target on WMT to $140 and keeps an "overweight" rating — a visible buy‑side endorsement that can lift sentiment and flows into the stock. Benzinga analyst note
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is expanding healthcare/omnichannel offerings (Better Care Services, GLP‑1 support) and integrating pharmacy/virtual care — moves that broaden addressable market and higher‑margin services revenue. Walmart Boosts Growth Playbook With Healthcare, Omnichannel Push
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is revamping its Great Value private‑label across ~10,000 items and modernizing stores and delivery staging — initiatives aimed at margin improvement, stronger value perception and better e‑commerce fulfillment. Walmart Revamps ‘Great Value’ Brand as Shoppers Shift to Lower-Priced Options
• Neutral Sentiment: WMT is a frequently trending stock and subject of value/peer comparisons (e.g., Carrefour) and analyst roundup pieces — useful for sentiment tracking but not immediate catalysts. CRRFY vs. WMT: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?
• Neutral Sentiment: Partnerships like the Back to the Roots soil‑health product at Walmart are positive for brand and CSR but represent a modest direct financial impact. Back to the Roots Scales Regenerative Movement Nationwide
• Negative Sentiment: A California court complaint alleges Amazon coerced vendors to pressure retailers like Walmart into raising prices — if investigations expand, it could create regulatory scrutiny or supplier dynamics that indirectly affect Walmart’s pricing and relationships. California says Amazon coerced companies into illegally raising prices

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on WMT shares. Erste Group Bank upgraded Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $125.00 target price (up from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $137.79.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WMT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.