Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Sold by J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG

Key Points

• J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG trimmed its stake in Walmart by 6.9% in Q4, selling 26,079 shares and retaining 350,945 shares valued at about $39.1 million.
• Company insiders sold significant stock — including EVP Latriece Watkins and Director C. Douglas McMillon — with insiders disposing of 274,278 shares worth roughly $33.8 million over the last quarter (insiders now own 0.10% of the company).
• Wall Street remains broadly positive with a consensus "Moderate Buy" and $135.76 target after Walmart slightly beat Q results (EPS $0.74 vs $0.73, revenue $190.66B) and issued FY2027 guidance of $2.75–$2.85 EPS.

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG trimmed its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 6.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 350,945 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 26,079 shares during the quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG's holdings in Walmart were worth $39,102,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Collier Financial acquired a new position in Walmart in the third quarter worth $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth $30,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Roble Belko & Company Inc lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 212.6% in the 3rd quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 322 shares of the retailer's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total transaction of $1,214,600.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 108,294 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,153,389.24. This trade represents a 8.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.16, for a total transaction of $2,391,274.56. Following the sale, the director owned 4,213,406 shares in the company, valued at approximately $518,923,082.96. This represents a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 274,278 shares of company stock worth $33,825,793 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on WMT shares. CICC Research assumed coverage on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, December 26th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $125.00 price objective for the company. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. KeyCorp restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $145.00 target price (up from $128.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $140.00 target price (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $120.00 price target on Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $135.76.

Walmart Trading Up 0.5%

Walmart stock opened at $123.50 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $124.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $113.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $984.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.07, a PEG ratio of 4.58 and a beta of 0.66. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $79.81 and a 52-week high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. Walmart's quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior 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. Sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 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. Investors of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a $0.2475 dividend. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.13%.

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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