Wesbanco Bank Inc. Sells 20,602 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Wesbanco Bank reduced its Walmart stake by 6.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 20,602 shares and leaving it with 319,180 shares valued at about $35.6 million.
• Despite the sale, Walmart continues to attract broad institutional and analyst support, with multiple firms raising price targets and the stock carrying a consensus Buy rating.
• Walmart reported solid recent results, beating quarterly EPS and revenue estimates, while also benefitting from defensive demand trends, including higher-income shoppers and inflation-hedge appeal.

Wesbanco Bank Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 6.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 319,180 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 20,602 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises approximately 1.0% of Wesbanco Bank Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Wesbanco Bank Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $35,560,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Chesapeake Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management now owns 25,082 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,794,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the period. Strategic Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $138,000. GRIMES & Co WEALTH MANAGEMENT LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 15.7% in the fourth quarter. GRIMES & Co WEALTH MANAGEMENT LLC now owns 38,577 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,298,000 after acquiring an additional 5,241 shares during the period. Anfield Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 64.0% in the fourth quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 515 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares during the period. Finally, Koshinski Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 85,953 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $9,576,000 after acquiring an additional 1,864 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen boosted its price target on Walmart to $150 and kept a Buy rating, which supports sentiment around the stock. Walmart (WMT) Gets a Buy from TD Cowen
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart was included among the 10 best inflation-hedge stocks for 2026, reinforcing its defensive appeal if consumer budgets remain tight. Walmart (WMT) – Among the 10 Best Inflation-Hedge Stocks to Buy for 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Another write-up echoed the inflation-hedge theme and TD Cowen’s raised target, adding to the bullish analyst narrative. Walmart (WMT) – Among the 10 Best Inflation-Hedge Stocks to Buy for 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart opened a third U.S. milk processing facility, which may support supply-chain control and lower long-term costs. Walmart Inc. (WMT) Opens Third Milk Processing Facility in the United States, Reuters Reports
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart expanded its wellness aisles with exclusive men’s grooming and women’s health products, which could help drive traffic and sales in higher-margin categories. Walmart Expands Wellness Aisles With Exclusive Grooming And Women’s Health Lines
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage ahead of retail earnings highlighted Walmart as a key read on consumer spending, but this is more of a macro watch item than a direct catalyst. Retail Earnings Will Show How Much Pressure Consumers Are Under
• Neutral Sentiment: CNBC noted that higher-income shoppers are helping drive Walmart’s strength this year, underscoring a favorable demand mix. Walmart has been on fire this year. How high earners are driving up the stock
• Neutral Sentiment: BTIG Research also issued a positive outlook on Walmart, adding to the broader analyst support. BTIG Research Issues Positive Forecast for Walmart NASDAQ: WMT Stock Price

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, 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 value of $2,460,201.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,023,209 shares of the company's stock, valued at $509,780,812.39. This represents a 0.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 value of $1,214,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 108,294 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,153,389.24. This represents a 8.45% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 167,195 shares of company stock valued at $20,975,804 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on WMT. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $127.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 price target on Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Mizuho boosted their price target on Walmart from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $147.00 price target (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Two 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $138.09.

Walmart Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $130.43 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The company has a market cap of $1.04 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.60, a PEG ratio of 4.85 and a beta of 0.65. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $91.89 and a 12 month high of $134.69. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $125.91 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $118.22.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued 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 the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm 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, analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.8%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.13%.

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.

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