World Investment Advisors Increases Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• World Investment Advisors increased its Walmart stake by 9.0% in the fourth quarter, buying 26,348 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 320,214 shares valued at about $32.9 million.
• Walmart has continued to attract strong analyst support, with multiple firms issuing Buy or Strong Buy ratings and a consensus price target of $138.67.
• The retailer reported better-than-expected quarterly results, including EPS of $0.74 and revenue of $190.66 billion, while also declaring a quarterly dividend of $0.2475 per share.

World Investment Advisors boosted its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 9.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 320,214 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 26,348 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors' holdings in Walmart were worth $32,935,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WMT. Collier Financial purchased a new position in Walmart in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP purchased a new position in Walmart in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Argus upgraded Walmart to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Roth Mkm reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $138.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 27th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $150.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and set a $130.00 target price (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, January 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $138.67.

Walmart Trading Up 2.2%

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $130.35 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $1.04 trillion, a P/E ratio of 47.57, a P/E/G ratio of 4.75 and a beta of 0.65. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $126.12 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $118.70. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $91.89 and a 1 year high of $134.69. 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 (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm 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, analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be issued 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 presently 36.13%.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total transaction of $4,158,004.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 533,466 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,082,852. The trade was a 6.01% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 167,195 shares of company stock valued at $20,975,804. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s continued investment in e-commerce, AI-enabled automation, fintech and supply-chain control is reinforcing the company’s “tech-enabled retailer” narrative, which can support higher investor confidence in future growth. How Walmart’s Dairy Push and Brand Partnerships At Walmart (WMT) Has Changed Its Investment Story
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s brand partnerships and expansion of exclusive products, along with its new milk processing facility in Texas, suggest stronger control over supply chains and potentially better margins over time. How Walmart’s Dairy Push and Brand Partnerships At Walmart (WMT) Has Changed Its Investment Story
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reiterated its Walmart price target ahead of earnings, indicating Wall Street still sees the stock as fairly supported heading into the next report. Morgan Stanley reiterates Walmart stock price target pre-earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical analysts say WMT remains in an uptrend and could retest highs if it breaks above the $135 area, which may keep traders interested. Walmart: Consolidation In Uptrend Means New Highs Likely (Technical Analysis)
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart plans to cut or relocate about 1,000 corporate jobs as it consolidates global technology and AI teams; while this may improve efficiency, it also signals restructuring and near-term disruption. Walmart lays off or relocates about 1,000 corporate workers, WSJ reports
• Negative Sentiment: Separate reports of hedge fund stake trimming and margin pressure commentary may add some caution around the stock’s valuation and profitability outlook. SCS Capital Management trims Walmart stake, sells 42,396 shares

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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