Heartland Bank & Trust Co Reduces Stock Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Heartland Bank & Trust Co cut its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 25.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,934 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 6,755 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises about 0.8% of Heartland Bank & Trust Co’s holdings, making the stock its 24th largest position. Heartland Bank & Trust Co’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,054,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 28.8% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,868,000 after acquiring an additional 21,939 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $800,000 after acquiring an additional 485 shares during the period. Peterson Wealth Management lifted its stake in Walmart by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Peterson Wealth Management now owns 50,307 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,416,000 after purchasing an additional 1,715 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 13,008 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,272,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the period. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 4.2% during the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 755,828 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $73,905,000 after purchasing an additional 30,320 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management highlights AI/automation and faster e‑commerce growth, which should support margin and productivity improvements over time. The future of retail is AI
• Positive Sentiment: Several brokers raised price targets or reaffirmed buy/outperform calls (Telsey, BTIG, Truist), which provides near‑term support and buyer interest. Telsey raises target
• Positive Sentiment: Board boosted shareholder returns — annual dividend raised to $0.99 and the company has been authorizing buybacks, which underpins cash‑return support. Dividend increase press release
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional activity shows accumulation in recent quarters and some technical analysts view the current pullback as a buying opportunity around $120–$110. That can stabilize downside but may not trigger an immediate rally. MarketBeat buy thesis
• Neutral Sentiment: An EVP sold a small block (1,255 shares) disclosed on a Form 4 — immaterial relative to his total holdings and likely routine liquidity. SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance disappointed — FY‑2027 EPS and Q1 guidance came in below consensus and management used cautious language; this guidance miss is the primary driver of today’s selloff. Q4 press release / slides
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns and bearish commentary argue that expected operating‑income gains don’t fully justify high multiples, prompting some investors to trim positions. Seeking Alpha valuation critique
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive narrative: Amazon now surpasses Walmart in annual revenue — symbolic but it focuses investor attention on competitive pressure and growth strategy execution. Amazon surpasses Walmart
• Negative Sentiment: Limited analyst downgrades (HSBC cut to Hold) add to selling pressure from cautious funds. WMT Downgrade video

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.27, for a total value of $2,445,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 506,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $61,962,034.28. The trade was a 3.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.83, for a total value of $2,171,291.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,315,333 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $482,583,689.39. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 211,696 shares of company stock valued at $25,176,467. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WMT. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $145.00 price objective (up previously from $128.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $120.00 price target (up previously from $115.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, November 21st. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price target (up previously from $136.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 price objective (up previously from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $150.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $132.53.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $122.99 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $119.37 and its 200 day moving average is $109.26. The stock has a market cap of $980.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.89, a P/E/G ratio of 5.07 and a beta of 0.65. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $79.81 and a 1-year high of $134.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period 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. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.2475 per share. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis 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 32.87%.

Walmart 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.