Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Acquired by Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 95.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 731,487 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 356,906 shares during the period. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $75,387,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc raised its position in shares of Walmart by 212.6% during the 3rd quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 322 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $123.49 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $984.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.07, a P/E/G ratio of 4.66 and a beta of 0.66. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $122.61 and a 200-day simple moving average of $111.53. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $79.81 and a 52 week 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.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its 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. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.66 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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. Equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on WMT shares. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $147.00 target price (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $120.00 price objective on Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price objective (up from $136.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $135.76.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart-backed Flipkart is reportedly preparing for an IPO as soon as this year — an eventual listing could unlock value for Walmart’s investment, attract new investor interest, and be a longer-term positive for WMT’s equity story. Walmart-backed Flipkart preps for an IPO as early as this year
• Positive Sentiment: BofA interprets OpenAI’s pullback on direct shopping inside ChatGPT as a net positive for Walmart, as it reduces a near-term competitive threat to Walmart’s e‑commerce and advertising growth plans. That view supports WMT’s digital/omnichannel outlook. BofA Calls Open AI News a Positive for Walmart Inc. (WMT)
• Positive Sentiment: An idea piece highlights ETFs that could benefit as consumers tighten budgets, signaling potential sector tailwinds for discount and warehouse retailers like Walmart if shoppers remain value‑focused. 3 ETFs That Could Benefit as Consumers Tighten Their Budgets (WMT)
• Positive Sentiment: 7 Brew is rolling out Ready‑to‑Drink coffees in Walmart stores across Arkansas — a small merchandising win that can incrementally boost in‑store sales and assortment breadth. 7 Brew Launches Ready‑to‑Drink Coffees in Walmart Stores Across Arkansas
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation/momentum coverage notes recent share-price moves (strong 1‑year TSR and mixed short‑term performance). This piece provides context for why some investors may be trimming positions after a run. A Look At Walmart (WMT) Valuation After Recent Share Price Momentum
• Neutral Sentiment: Worldly hired a former Walmart human‑rights senior director to lead social‑risk strategy — notable for reputation and supply‑chain governance but unlikely to move the stock materially. Worldly Hires Former Walmart Human Rights Senior Director to Lead Social Risk Strategy
• Negative Sentiment: An analyst/compare piece argues Costco may be the better buy given its membership economics and comp performance — such comparisons can weigh on Walmart’s relative valuation and encourage rotation into perceived higher‑quality retail names. Walmart vs. Costco: Which Stock Is the Better Buy?

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total value of $4,158,004.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total transaction of $1,214,600.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 108,294 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,153,389.24. This trade represents a 8.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 279,703 shares of company stock valued at $34,140,843. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.