Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Acquired by Victory Financial Group LLC

Victory Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 98.2% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 15,516 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 7,688 shares during the quarter. Victory Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,729,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Fox Run Management L.L.C. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the third quarter worth approximately $1,709,000. CWM LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 24.2% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,175,703 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $121,168,000 after acquiring an additional 229,220 shares during the period. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 63,782 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,567,000 after acquiring an additional 9,061 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,010,886 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $104,182,000 after acquiring an additional 28,026 shares in the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 293,866 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $30,286,000 after acquiring an additional 14,487 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmex (Walmart de México y Centroamérica), Walmart’s largest international unit, announced a $2.5 billion investment for 2026 to expand stores and operations in Mexico — a near-term growth catalyst for international revenue and an earnings diversification driver. Walmart (WMT) Unit Walmex Plans $2.5B Investment in Mexico
• Positive Sentiment: Commentators are flagging Walmart as a defensive holding that performs well in stagflation or weak-consumer scenarios because it sells essential goods across income cycles, supporting demand for the stock in risk-off moves. Stagflation Fears Are Back
• Positive Sentiment: Other retail-focused analysis highlights Walmart among retailers structurally positioned to withstand tariffs and inflation pressures, reinforcing the defensive narrative for long-term investors. 3 Retail Stocks Built to Survive Tariffs, Inflation, and the Next 30 Years
• Positive Sentiment: TV commentator Jim Cramer expressed a bullish near-term take on Walmart’s price action, which can attract momentum-driven flows and retail buying. Jim Cramer on Walmart
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/sector research notes defensive sectors (consumer staples/retail staples) are outperforming as recession odds rise, which benefits Walmart but is a broader market theme rather than a company-specific trigger. As Recession Odds Climb, Defensive Sectors Continue to Outperform (WMT)
• Neutral Sentiment: Profiles noting the Walton family’s rising net worth and billionaire rankings are headline-grabbing but have limited direct impact on operations or near-term stock fundamentals. Tech Titans Dominate Billionaires List. Walmart Heirs Join the Elite.
• Negative Sentiment: Some outlets lay out reasons to sell WMT (valuation, margin pressure, or better opportunities elsewhere), which can weigh on sentiment among more cautious investors. 3 reasons to sell WMT and 1 stock to buy instead
• Negative Sentiment: Analysis suggesting Walmart’s “recession signal” is flashing red raises macro concerns: stronger demand for Walmart can indicate broader consumer stress and a deteriorating economic environment, which is a mixed/negative macro signal for markets. The Walmart (WMT) Recession Signal Is Flashing Red

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total value of $1,214,600.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 108,294 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,153,389.24. This represents a 8.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of Walmart 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 owned 486,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $62,203,571.56. This trade represents a 3.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 274,278 shares of company stock worth $33,825,793. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 price target (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $140.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $135.76.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $125.79 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.00 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.91, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 0.66. 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $124.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $114.13. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $79.81 and a 52-week high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company 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. Analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Walmart’s payout ratio is presently 36.13%.

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.