Rafferty Asset Management LLC Purchases 7,623 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Rafferty Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 377,472 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,623 shares during the period. Rafferty Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $38,902,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Collier Financial bought a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Access Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Roble Belko & Company Inc grew its position in shares of Walmart by 212.6% during the third quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 322 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on WMT. Mizuho increased 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. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $147.00 price objective (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $134.42.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $127.95 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $120.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $110.07. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $79.81 and a 52-week high of $134.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.02 trillion, a P/E ratio of 46.70, a P/E/G ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 0.65.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $190.66 billion for 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%.Walmart’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.66 EPS. 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, sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business 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 of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.31%.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America initiated coverage with a “Buy” rating and a $150 price target, signaling materially higher analyst optimism versus the current share level (roughly +17% upside from the cited price).
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results showed a slight EPS beat (reported $0.74 vs. $0.73 est.) and revenue topped estimates; management issued FY2027 EPS guidance of $2.75–$2.85, supporting multiple expansion and investor confidence.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is rolling out its Scintilla In-Store data platform and expanding private/partner brands, moves that reinforce higher-margin adjacencies (ads, marketplace, fulfillment) and long-term e‑commerce/store integration growth. Walmart Supplier Tech And New Brands Reframe Stores As Data Platforms
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage consensus remains constructive — a “Moderate Buy” consensus was reported, reflecting institutional buy-side alignment but some variance in targets. Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart leadership will participate in upcoming investor events and webcasts — provides management access to investors for strategy updates and Q&A, which can influence near-term sentiment. Walmart Leadership to Participate in Upcoming Investor Events
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart agreed to settle FTC claims over Spark driver pay for roughly $100M total, including a $16M payout to drivers over alleged misleading pay/tip claims — a near-term cash hit and reputational/legal overhang, though not material to operating margins long-term at scale. Walmart agrees to $100M settlement over deceptive pay practices in Spark Driver program Walmart agrees to pay $16 million to its Spark delivery drivers to settle claims it misled them over tips and pay

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total value of $1,214,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 108,294 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,153,389.24. This represents a 8.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total value of $4,158,004.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 533,466 shares in the company, valued at $65,082,852. The trade was a 6.01% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 261,903 shares of company stock worth $31,829,749 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.