Walmart Inc. $WMT Stock Holdings Lessened by Gradient Investments LLC

Gradient Investments LLC cut its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 2.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 408,514 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 12,183 shares during the quarter. Gradient Investments LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $45,513,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Collier Financial acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc lifted its stake in Walmart by 212.6% during the third quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 322 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter worth about $39,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $120.72 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $124.13 and its 200 day moving average price is $113.09. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $79.81 and a 52 week high of $134.69. The company has a market capitalization of $962.42 billion, a PE ratio of 44.06, a PEG ratio of 4.43 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.79.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (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 the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The company’s revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $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. Research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Investors 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 (DPR) is currently 36.13%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price target (up from $136.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, January 18th. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 target price (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Tigress Financial set a $150.00 target price on Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $135.76.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.96, for a total value of $1,600,725.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 687,287 shares in the company, valued at $83,821,522.52. The trade was a 1.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total value of $2,555,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 486,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,203,571.56. The trade was a 3.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 274,278 shares of company stock valued at $33,605,809. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.