Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. Buys Shares of 385,914 Walmart Inc. $WMT

Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. purchased a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund purchased 385,914 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $42,995,000. Walmart comprises 1.5% of Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A.’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $49,015,626,000 after acquiring an additional 4,304,436 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in Walmart by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $19,046,104,000 after buying an additional 2,242,364 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,298,623 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,153,176,000 after buying an additional 634,211 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in Walmart by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 27,268,463 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,810,288,000 after buying an additional 934,468 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its stake in Walmart by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 24,990,692 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,575,541,000 after buying an additional 93,459 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. HSBC downgraded shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $122.00 to $131.00 in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $137.00 target price (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 target price (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, May 11th. Telsey Advisory Group upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $127.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $138.88.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts have been raising price targets and reiterating bullish ratings on Walmart ahead of earnings, reflecting confidence in the company’s execution and near-term outlook. Walmart stock: Here’s why analysts are raising price targets before Q1 earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is benefiting from its scale, digital expansion, and higher-margin businesses, which are helping it outperform rivals and absorb tariff-related cost pressure better than peers. Scale, online push and loyalty fees: how Walmart won the year of the tariffs
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is expected to deliver solid Q1 results, with investors watching for continued omnichannel momentum, e-commerce growth, and gains in ads and membership revenue. Walmart Looks Strong Ahead of Q1 Earnings: Should Investors Stay Put?
• Positive Sentiment: Management’s push into AI and automation could support margins over time by improving fulfillment efficiency and lowering operating costs. Walmart’s AI and Automation Push: Long-Term Cost Advantage?
• Neutral Sentiment: One small insider sale by EVP Daniel Bartlett is a headline risk, but it was a pre-arranged 10b5-1 transaction and does not appear to signal a major change in outlook. SEC Form 4 filing
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader retail comparisons and market worries around consumer spending and geopolitics may create short-term volatility, but they also reinforce Walmart’s defensive appeal. NVDA, WMT Report This Week, but News on the Strait Is Key

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.77, for a total transaction of $167,212.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 635,593 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $85,023,275.61. This trade represents a 0.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 486,764 shares in the company, valued at $62,203,571.56. This represents a 3.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 167,190 shares of company stock worth $20,975,838 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $134.20 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $126.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $119.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The company has a market capitalization of $1.07 trillion, a PE ratio of 48.98, a P/E/G ratio of 4.93 and a beta of 0.65. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $93.43 and a 52-week high of $135.16.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The business’s revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm 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. Equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.2475 per share. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.