Fred Alger Management LLC Cuts Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Fred Alger Management LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 13.8% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 344,507 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 55,209 shares during the quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $35,505,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its stake in Walmart by 4.1% in the third quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 2,488,741 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $256,484,000 after purchasing an additional 97,445 shares during the last quarter. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 8.7% during the third quarter. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 52,900 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $5,452,000 after buying an additional 4,251 shares during the last quarter. Delta Global Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.4% in the third quarter. Delta Global Management LP now owns 398,868 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $41,107,000 after buying an additional 9,174 shares during the period. Disciplined Investors L.L.C. increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 33.9% in the third quarter. Disciplined Investors L.L.C. now owns 13,983 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,441,000 after buying an additional 3,540 shares during the period. Finally, DoubleLine ETF Adviser LP bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at about $8,499,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Walmart from $110.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $138.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $140.00 price objective (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $150.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 target price (up from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $135.76.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT opened at $126.52 on Monday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $1.01 trillion, a PE ratio of 46.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.71 and a beta of 0.66. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $123.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $112.06. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $79.81 and a 52-week high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The firm’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $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. On average, equities research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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 $0.2475 dividend. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.31%.

Key Walmart News

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

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 10,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total transaction of $1,214,600.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 108,294 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,153,389.24. The trade was a 8.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.71, for a total transaction of $2,460,201.36. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,023,209 shares in the company, valued at $509,780,812.39. This represents a 0.48% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 278,278 shares of company stock worth $33,974,118. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.