Freemont Management S.A. Increases Stock Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Freemont Management S.A. increased its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 196.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,300 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 5,500 shares during the quarter. Freemont Management S.A.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $925,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Collier Financial purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 57.4% in the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $137.00 price objective (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $147.00 price objective (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, January 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.67.

Walmart News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s restructuring appears aimed at streamlining operations and improving coordination across tech and AI teams, which could boost efficiency and profitability if executed well.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary ahead of earnings remains constructive, with reports highlighting Walmart’s strong earnings-surprise track record and arguing that its premium valuation is justified by growth and execution.
• Positive Sentiment: Pre-earnings research from major analysts has reiterated favorable views on Walmart, suggesting expectations remain high heading into the company’s quarterly report.
• Neutral Sentiment: The job cuts were reported to be part of an internal reorganization rather than a direct response to AI replacing workers, which limits the read-through to near-term fundamentals. Walmart lays off or relocates about 1,000 corporate workers, WSJ reports
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles also framed the move as a broader digital-transformation effort, but the actual earnings impact is still unclear until Walmart reports results and guidance.
• Negative Sentiment: Layoffs can sometimes signal management caution or cost pressure, and investor reaction may be tempered by the fact that Walmart’s shares already trade at a premium valuation ahead of earnings.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.84, for a total transaction of $1,638,525.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 674,162 shares in the company, valued at approximately $84,162,384.08. This represents a 1.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.72, for a total transaction of $361,688.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 596,008 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $74,334,117.76. The trade was a 0.48% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 167,195 shares of company stock valued at $20,975,804 over the last quarter. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT stock opened at $131.47 on Thursday. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $91.89 and a one year high of $134.69. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $126.21 and its 200-day moving average price is $118.87. 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 company has a market capitalization of $1.05 trillion, a PE ratio of 47.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.85 and a beta of 0.65.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.66 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 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 issued 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 payout ratio is 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.