Wright Investors Service Inc. Buys Shares of 24,936 Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Wright Investors Service bought a new stake of 24,936 shares of Walmart (about $2.78 million) in Q4, according to the firm's SEC filing.
• Insiders have been net sellers recently — executives (including Donna Morris and John D. Rainey) sold shares, with 263,376 insider shares worth about $32.6 million sold in the past three months; insiders now own ~0.10% of the stock.
• Walmart is boosting its omnichannel strategy with a 650+ U.S. store remodel program and ~20 new openings through 2027, while analysts maintain a consensus "Buy" on the stock with a $137.64 average price target (Bank of America at $150).

Wright Investors Service Inc. bought a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 24,936 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $2,778,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Capstone Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Capstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,955 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $552,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Matrix Trust Co lifted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. HRC Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. HRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,209 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $246,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 1.0% in the third quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 9,926 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,023,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC now owns 11,449 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,274,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP Donna Morris sold 76,181 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.79, for a total transaction of $9,430,445.99. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 402,072 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $49,772,492.88. The trade was a 15.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total transaction of $2,555,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 486,764 shares in the company, valued at $62,203,571.56. This trade represents a 3.95% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 263,376 shares of company stock valued at $32,598,466 in the last three months. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 27th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $150.00 target price for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $120.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $125.00 price objective (up from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $137.64.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $127.50 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $125.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $115.87. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $91.34 and a 1-year high of $134.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.02 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.53, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 0.66.

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 business had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.66 earnings per share. Walmart'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, sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

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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