WestEnd Advisors LLC Sells 14,237 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• WestEnd Advisors LLC cut its Walmart stake by 3.4% in Q4, selling 14,237 shares and leaving 408,759 shares valued at $45.54 million, roughly 1.1% of the firm's portfolio (its 27th largest position).
• Insider selling occurred April 15–16 — including CEO John R. Furner — executed under Rule 10b5-1 plans; insiders have sold 263,376 shares (~$32.6 million) over the last quarter, a development that could create short-term headline risk despite being pre-arranged.
• Strategic growth moves: Walmart announced a major U.S. store modernization program (650+ remodels and ~20 new openings through 2027), is expanding higher‑margin health/weight‑management services tied to GLP‑1s, and Flipkart plans to enter India’s ticketing market, all aimed at boosting omnichannel sales and new revenue streams.

WestEnd Advisors LLC cut its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 3.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 408,759 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 14,237 shares during the period. Walmart comprises about 1.1% of WestEnd Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. WestEnd Advisors LLC's holdings in Walmart were worth $45,540,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WMT. Fox Run Management L.L.C. acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,709,000. CWM LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 24.2% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,175,703 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $121,168,000 after buying an additional 229,220 shares in the last quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. boosted its stake in Walmart by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 63,782 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $6,567,000 after buying an additional 9,061 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in Walmart by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,010,886 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $104,182,000 after purchasing an additional 28,026 shares during the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors raised its position in Walmart by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 293,866 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $30,286,000 after purchasing an additional 14,487 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company announces its largest U.S. store modernization program — 650+ remodels and ~20 new openings through 2027 to improve layouts, tech, pickup and delivery integration, aimed at accelerating omnichannel sales and same-store traffic. Walmart Modernizes U.S. Stores As Omnichannel Investment Meets Fair Value Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is expanding health/weight-management services (Better Care Services) to support customers using or exploring GLP-1s — a higher-margin service layer that can drive pharmacy and virtual-care revenue and deepen customer engagement. Walmart Expands Access to Weight Management Support Services for Customers on or exploring GLP-1s
• Positive Sentiment: Flipkart (Walmart-owned) plans to enter India’s ticketing market for movies and live events, offering a new revenue stream in a fast-growing entertainment sector and strengthening Flipkart’s consumer proposition. Walmart's Flipkart plans foray into India's ticketing market as live events boom
• Positive Sentiment: A small institutional buyer (BCS Wealth Management) increased its WMT stake, a sign of incremental fund interest though not a major ownership shift. BCS Wealth Management Has $1.61 Million Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is refreshing its Great Value private-label packaging — a brand update that can support shelf appeal and private-label mix but is unlikely to move near-term revenue materially. Walmart announces a redesign of its Great Value brand
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart launched branded fashion collaborations (e.g., a Devil Wears Prada collection) — useful for marketing and traffic but unlikely to be a major earnings driver. Fashion moves: Walmart launches a collection tied to The Devil Wears Prada
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary on potential Sam’s Club membership fee increases could help U.S. club margins if implemented, but the competitive impact vs. Costco remains uncertain. Will Increased Membership Fees at Walmart's Sam's Club Actually Boost Costco's Stock Instead?
• Negative Sentiment: Several senior executives sold shares over April 15–16 (EVPs Daniel Bartlett and Christopher Nicholas, and CEO John Furner). Each sale was small relative to holdings and executed under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, but the headline risk can create short-term selling pressure or negative investor perception. Daniel J. Bartlett Form 4 Christopher James Nicholas Form 4 John R. Furner Form 4

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT stock opened at $127.50 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $1.02 trillion, a P/E ratio of 46.53, a PEG ratio of 4.75 and a beta of 0.66. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $91.34 and a twelve month high of $134.69. 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 business has a fifty day moving average of $125.64 and a 200-day moving average of $116.06.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. The company 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 firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $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, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.84, for a total transaction of $1,638,525.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 674,162 shares of the company's stock, valued at $84,162,384.08. The trade was a 1.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.72, for a total transaction of $361,688.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 596,008 shares of the company's stock, valued at $74,334,117.76. This represents a 0.48% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 263,376 shares of company stock valued at $32,598,466 over the last quarter. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Walmart from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. HSBC downgraded Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $122.00 to $131.00 in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $135.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 price objective on Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Tigress Financial set a $150.00 price objective on Walmart and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $137.64.

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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