Investment Research Partners LLC Makes New $1.24 Million Investment in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Investment Research Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 12,053 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,235,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Collier Financial bought a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP acquired a new stake in Walmart during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc grew its position in shares of Walmart by 212.6% in 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $121.98 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $972.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.52, a PEG ratio of 4.66 and a beta of 0.66. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $79.81 and a fifty-two 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 stock has a fifty day moving average price of $123.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $112.53.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.Walmart’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business 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, equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be issued a $0.2475 dividend. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a 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%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.27, for a total transaction of $2,445,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 506,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $61,962,034.28. This represents a 3.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.83, for a total transaction of $2,171,291.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 4,315,333 shares in the company, valued at $482,583,689.39. This represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 265,153 shares of company stock worth $32,465,924. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $145.00 target price (up from $128.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 price objective (up from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 target price (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $147.00 target price (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $150.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $135.76.

Walmart News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart won U.S. patents for two machine‑learning systems to inform item pricing — a potential margin and competitive improvement if deployed at scale for dynamic pricing and promotions. Walmart Secures Machine Learning Patents for Pricing Items
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart Marketplace expands capabilities via a verified Doba integration, speeding onboarding and automated dropshipping for sellers — supports marketplace assortment and low‑capital inventory expansion. Doba Announces Verified Technical Integration with Walmart Marketplace to Empower Dropshipping Sellers
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/media pieces highlight Walmart’s faster‑growing e‑commerce and advertising businesses and its AI initiatives — reinforcing the view of higher‑margin revenue streams beyond physical retail. 1 Stock I Plan to Load Up On in 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary notes Walmart as a recession‑resilient consumer staple, which supports defensive demand for shares in macro uncertainty — a structural positive but not an immediate catalyst. Predictions Markets Are Pointing to a Potential Recession. 3 Stocks to Buy.
• Negative Sentiment: A shareholder law firm launched an investigation into Walmart’s board over alleged deceptive pay practices for Spark drivers — raises governance, litigation and reputational risk that can pressure the stock until resolved. Berger Montague PC Investigates Walmart Inc.’s Board of Directors for Breach of Fiduciary Duty (NASDAQ: WMT)
• Negative Sentiment: Amazon rolled out 1‑hour and 3‑hour shipping in major U.S. markets — intensifying delivery competition and potentially pressuring Walmart’s value proposition and margins on rapid fulfillment. Amazon launches 1-hour shipping in US cities to challenge Walmart
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart‑backed PhonePe paused IPO plans amid Middle East market volatility — delays potential monetization/valuation realization and is a reminder external market conditions can affect Walmart’s non‑core asset strategies. Walmart-backed PhonePe pauses IPO plans as Middle East conflict fuels market volatility
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts warn WMT’s valuation looks rich given the premium multiple assigned for e‑commerce and advertising growth — valuation concerns can amplify downside on disappointing news. Walmart’s Valuation Looks Rich: Should You Stay Invested in the 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.