Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Sold by Pacer Advisors Inc.

Key Points

• Pacer Advisors trimmed its Walmart stake by 3.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 11,642 shares and leaving the fund with 342,381 shares valued at about $38.1 million.
• Walmart insiders have also been selling: EVP John D. Rainey and CEO John R. Furner both reduced their holdings, and insiders sold 167,195 shares worth about $21.0 million over the last 90 days.
• Analysts remain bullish on Walmart, with a consensus Buy rating and an average price target of $138.67, while the company’s latest earnings beat estimates and revenue rose 5.6% year over year.

Pacer Advisors Inc. lowered its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 3.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 342,381 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 11,642 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $38,145,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Collier Financial acquired a new position in Walmart in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP acquired a new position in Walmart in the third quarter valued at $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 57.4% in the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s restructuring appears aimed at streamlining operations and improving coordination across tech and AI teams, which could boost efficiency and profitability if executed well.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary ahead of earnings remains constructive, with reports highlighting Walmart’s strong earnings-surprise track record and arguing that its premium valuation is justified by growth and execution.
• Positive Sentiment: Pre-earnings research from major analysts has reiterated favorable views on Walmart, suggesting expectations remain high heading into the company’s quarterly report.
• Neutral Sentiment: The job cuts were reported to be part of an internal reorganization rather than a direct response to AI replacing workers, which limits the read-through to near-term fundamentals. Walmart lays off or relocates about 1,000 corporate workers, WSJ reports
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles also framed the move as a broader digital-transformation effort, but the actual earnings impact is still unclear until Walmart reports results and guidance.
• Negative Sentiment: Layoffs can sometimes signal management caution or cost pressure, and investor reaction may be tempered by the fact that Walmart’s shares already trade at a premium valuation ahead of earnings.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the business'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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 486,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,203,571.56. The trade was a 3.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.96, for a total value of $1,600,725.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 687,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $83,821,522.52. This trade represents a 1.87% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 167,195 shares of company stock valued at $20,975,804. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on WMT. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $145.00 price objective on Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, April 20th. BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "overweight" rating and set a $140.00 price objective (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, BTIG Research boosted their price objective on Walmart from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. 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 MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $138.67.

Walmart Trading Up 0.9%

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $131.47 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.79. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $91.89 and a one year high of $134.69. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $126.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $118.87. The stock has a market cap of $1.05 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.85 and a beta of 0.65.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The business had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.66 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Investors of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid a $0.2475 dividend. The ex-dividend date 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 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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