Mufg Securities Americas Inc. Buys 22,607 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Mufg Securities Americas Inc. raised its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 23.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 118,361 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 22,607 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises 0.8% of Mufg Securities Americas Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 18th largest position. Mufg Securities Americas Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $12,198,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Access Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Roble Belko & Company Inc grew its stake 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 acquiring an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Earnings and comps — Walmart posted an earnings and revenue beat alongside ~4.6% U.S. comp growth, which bolsters FY guidance and investor confidence in grocery/omnichannel momentum. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Buyback and capital returns — Management announced a fresh share‑repurchase authorization (roughly US$30B reported in coverage), which supports EPS and is a clear capital‑return catalyst. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend hike — Walmart raised its dividend (~5%), reinforcing its Dividend King status and making the yield + buyback combo attractive to income and total‑return buyers. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support — Multiple firms raised targets and reiterated Outperform/Buy ratings (Telsey, BTIG, Jefferies, Oppenheimer), which likely contributed to positive flows and momentum. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional positioning — Large funds (Norges Bank, Vanguard, AQR, Geode) are listed as significant holders or recent movers; this underscores big‑cap ownership but doesn’t change the near‑term story materially. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/industry commentary — Additional bank notes and earnings‑cycle comments (e.g., Erste Group) provide context on FY outlook without altering consensus materially. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — Several senior executives, including CEO John Furner and two EVPs, disclosed sales of sizable share blocks this week; while often for diversification/tax reasons, such filings can create short‑term sentiment/headline pressure. Read More. • Read More. • Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/headline risk — Management flagged labor‑market softness and a possible “hiring recession,” which could signal consumer fragility and pressure discretionary volumes if the trend deepens. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation caution — Some coverage flags a high forward earnings multiple and the share price sitting at/above certain analyst averages, which raises risk for near‑term multiple compression despite strong fundamentals. Read More.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.27, for a total value of $2,445,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 506,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $61,962,034.28. This represents a 3.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 4,315,333 shares in the company, valued at approximately $482,583,689.39. The trade was a 0.45% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 261,903 shares of company stock worth $31,496,959 over the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on WMT shares. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $145.00 price objective (up previously from $128.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 price target (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Walmart from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Finally, Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 price objective (up previously from $115.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, November 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $132.53.

Walmart Trading Up 2.3%

Shares of WMT opened at $125.81 on Tuesday. 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 Inc. has a 52-week low of $79.81 and a 52-week high of $134.69. The firm has a market cap of $1.00 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.92, a PEG ratio of 4.97 and a beta of 0.65. The business’s fifty day moving average is $119.55 and its 200-day moving average is $109.53.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The business had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.66 EPS. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. 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 34.31%.

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.