Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Bought by RiverFront Investment Group LLC

Key Points

• RiverFront Investment Group increased its Walmart stake by 4.9% in the fourth quarter, buying 33,235 shares and lifting its holdings to 710,816 shares worth about $79.2 million.
• Several other institutions also added to Walmart positions, and 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish on Walmart, with an average “Buy” rating and a consensus price target of $138.88, while the company recently reported earnings and revenue that slightly topped estimates.

RiverFront Investment Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 4.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 710,816 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 33,235 shares during the period. Walmart makes up approximately 1.3% of RiverFront Investment Group LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. RiverFront Investment Group LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $79,192,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 28.8% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $8,868,000 after buying an additional 21,939 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $800,000 after buying an additional 485 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Wealth Management boosted its stake in Walmart by 3.5% during the first quarter. Peterson Wealth Management now owns 50,307 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,416,000 after buying an additional 1,715 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 0.9% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 13,008 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,272,000 after buying an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its stake in Walmart by 1.2% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 91,341 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $8,931,000 after buying an additional 1,048 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.21, for a total transaction of $2,566,989.36. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,193,995 shares in the company, valued at approximately $554,488,078.95. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total value of $2,555,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 486,764 shares of the company's stock, valued at $62,203,571.56. The trade was a 3.95% 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 167,195 shares of company stock worth $20,975,804. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the subject of several research reports. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $138.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. HSBC cut Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and raised their target price for the company from $122.00 to $131.00 in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $137.00 price target (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $145.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price target on Walmart from $127.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Two 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $138.88.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $131.45 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $93.43 and a 1-year high of $134.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.05 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.85 and a beta of 0.65. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $126.37 and a 200 day simple moving average of $119.25.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.66 EPS. Walmart'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. Sell-side analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm 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. 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 (DPR) is presently 36.13%.

Walmart News Summary

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.

About Walmart

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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