WD Rutherford LLC Buys 9,240 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• WD Rutherford LLC increased its Walmart stake by 49.8% in the fourth quarter, buying 9,240 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 27,801 shares worth about $3.1 million.
• Walmart reported solid quarterly results, with EPS of $0.74 beating expectations and revenue of $190.66 billion topping estimates, while sales rose 5.6% year over year.
• Analysts remain generally bullish on WMT, with a consensus Buy rating and an average price target of $138.88, though some bearish commentary warns expectations may already be high ahead of the next earnings call on May 21.

WD Rutherford LLC boosted its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 49.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,801 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 9,240 shares during the quarter. WD Rutherford LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $3,097,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Wisconsin Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $246,000. Sequent Planning LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 57.6% in the 4th quarter. Sequent Planning LLC now owns 5,304 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $591,000 after buying an additional 1,938 shares during the last quarter. Sherry Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $2,362,000. Finally, Odyssey Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $479,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

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.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total transaction of $1,214,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 108,294 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,153,389.24. This represents a 8.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.71, for a total transaction of $2,460,201.36. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,023,209 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $509,780,812.39. This trade represents a 0.48% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 167,195 shares of company stock worth $20,975,804. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $131.45 on Monday. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $93.43 and a 52 week high of $134.69. The firm has a market cap of $1.05 trillion, a P/E ratio of 47.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.85 and a beta of 0.65. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $126.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $119.25. 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 (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced 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 net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.66 EPS. The business'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. On average, analysts forecast 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $0.2475 per share. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.13%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on WMT shares. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $145.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $150.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Argus upgraded shares of Walmart to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $120.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, January 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $138.88.

Walmart 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.