Walmart Inc. $WMT Stock Holdings Lifted by Artemis Investment Management LLP

Key Points

• Artemis Investment Management increased its position in Walmart by 19.9% in Q4, adding 100,784 shares to hold 607,171 shares worth about $67.6 million.
• Walmart topped Q4 estimates with $0.74 EPS (vs. $0.73) and $190.66 billion in revenue, and set FY2027 guidance of $2.75–$2.85 EPS while sell‑side analysts project roughly $2.89 for the year.
• Insiders have been net sellers recently — 263,376 shares were sold in the last 90 days (≈$32.85 million), including transactions by Director C. Douglas McMillon and EVP Donna Morris.

Artemis Investment Management LLP grew its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 19.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 607,171 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 100,784 shares during the period. Artemis Investment Management LLP's holdings in Walmart were worth $67,645,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,561 shares of the retailer's stock worth $285,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Capstone Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Capstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,955 shares of the retailer's stock worth $552,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Ellenbecker Investment Group grew its position in shares of Walmart by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Ellenbecker Investment Group now owns 14,475 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,613,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Matrix Trust Co grew its position in shares of Walmart by 20.0% in the fourth quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 547 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HRC Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. HRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,209 shares of the retailer's stock worth $246,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of WMT opened at $131.60 on Friday. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $125.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $117.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.24. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $91.89 and a one year high of $134.69. The company has a market capitalization of $1.05 trillion, a P/E ratio of 48.03, a PEG ratio of 4.90 and a beta of 0.65.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced 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 company had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.66 earnings per share. 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 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart 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 transaction, the director directly owned 4,023,209 shares of the company's stock, valued at $509,780,812.39. This trade represents a 0.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Donna Morris sold 76,181 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.79, for a total value of $9,430,445.99. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 402,072 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,772,492.88. This represents a 15.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 263,376 shares of company stock valued at $32,851,650. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart announced a third U.S. milk-processing facility, a $350 million investment to boost domestic dairy supply and vertical integration, which should cut supply-chain risk and support grocery margins. Walmart opens third U.S. milk processing facility with $350 million investment
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart earmarked millions for multiple Arizona store upgrades — investments that can boost traffic, comps and localized competitiveness. Walmart earmarks millions for multiple Arizona store upgrades
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional investor Alecta increased its Walmart stake by ~406,400 shares, a sign of confidence from a large pension investor. Alecta Pensionsforsakring Boosts Walmart Stake by 406,400 Shares
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is expanding local-product assortments (e.g., region-specific coffee/beans) to better serve price‑sensitive consumers and differentiate merchandising — a low-cost way to improve basket relevance. Walmart Eyes Local Products as National Consumer Mood Sours
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and analyst pieces debate Walmart vs. Costco and reiterate bullish theses on WMT’s e‑commerce gains and higher‑income customer mix — these keep sentiment constructive but don’t change fundamentals immediately. Better Buy: Walmart or Costco Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Several bullish write-ups (Yahoo/InsiderMonkey summarizing a Substack thesis) highlight valuation and growth arguments; useful for sentiment but not new company action. Is Walmart Inc. (WMT) A Good Stock To Buy Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart’s Acres for America grants program awarded $5.4M in conservation grants — positive for ESG profile but limited direct financial impact. NFWF Announces $5.4 Million in Grants from Walmart's Acres for America Program
• Neutral Sentiment: Internal leadership redesign (changes to store-lead roles and retention moves for high-paid managers) suggests workforce optimization; could reduce costs or create short-term disruption depending on execution. Walmart redesigns its leadership pipeline as managers making $400K stay for longer

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on WMT. Wall Street Zen downgraded Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, January 18th. Telsey Advisory Group upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $140.00 price target (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. KeyCorp restated an "overweight" rating and set a $145.00 price target (up from $128.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $140.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Two research 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 currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average 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.

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