Fayez Sarofim & Co Sells 46,292 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Fayez Sarofim & Co cut its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,647,762 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 46,292 shares during the period. Fayez Sarofim & Co’s holdings in Walmart were worth $169,818,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the second quarter valued at $5,367,770,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 9,648.7% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,486,374 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,123,138,000 after purchasing an additional 11,368,549 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 188.1% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,199,907,000 after purchasing an additional 7,614,172 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Walmart by 1.4% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 431,817,510 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $42,223,116,000 after purchasing an additional 5,856,468 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi increased its holdings in Walmart by 20.5% in the third quarter. Amundi now owns 23,497,921 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,413,236,000 after purchasing an additional 4,004,277 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.91, for a total value of $1,508,193.75. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 733,841 shares in the company, valued at $84,325,669.31. This trade represents a 1.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.27, for a total value of $2,445,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 506,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $61,962,034.28. The trade was a 3.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 278,278 shares of company stock worth $33,974,118. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart reported continued digital strength: eCommerce grew ~24% in the fiscal fourth quarter, reinforcing its omnichannel momentum and supporting revenue beat and modest upside to guidance — a clear near-term growth driver. Walmart eCommerce Up 24: Can Digital Momentum Continue?
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and portfolio shops remain constructive: Tigress Financial reiterated a Buy and raised its price target to $150, citing Walmart’s shift toward tech-driven omnichannel operations — a signal of upward analyst sentiment. Tigress Financial Sees Walmart Inc. (WMT) as Tech-Driven Retail Leader
• Positive Sentiment: Flipkart IPO progress (Walmart-backed) remains a potential longer-term upside — an equity event that could unlock value and generate cash/strategic optionality. Walmart-backed Flipkart preps for an IPO as early as this year
• Neutral Sentiment: Schaeffer’s options commentary flagged bullish setups and the possibility of further record highs for WMT — useful for options traders but not a broad fundamental catalyst. Walmart Stock Could Nab More Record Highs
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysis pieces (The Motley Fool) flag that Walmart’s digital push could pay off if fulfillment economics and ROIC improve; it’s strategic upside but execution-dependent. Will Walmart’s Digital Push Pay Off in 2026?
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is referenced in pieces about stock splits and retail-focused ETFs — background thematic support but not an immediate catalyst. 3 ETFs That Could Benefit as Consumers Tighten Their Budgets (WMT)
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical risk: coverage notes the Iran war and possible Strait of Hormuz disruptions could push supply-chain costs and retail prices higher — a margin and inflation risk for Walmart. How the Iran war could start to impact U.S. retail prices
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and sentiment pressure: commentary (247WallStreet) highlights retail investor criticism of WMT’s ~46x multiple and recent bearish social sentiment, raising the risk of multiple compression if growth disappoints. Reddit’s Loudest Walmart Critics Have a Point About That 46x Multiple

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $126.52 on Monday. 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 Inc. has a twelve month low of $79.81 and a twelve month high of $134.69. The company has a fifty day moving average of $123.16 and a 200-day moving average of $112.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.01 trillion, a P/E ratio of 46.18, a P/E/G ratio of 4.71 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. Walmart’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $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, sell-side analysts anticipate 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 given a dividend of $0.2475 per share. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is 34.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of several recent research reports. DA Davidson set a $150.00 target price on Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 price target (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 price objective on Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 target price (up from $136.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. One 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $135.76.

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.