Waddell & Associates LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT – Free Report) by 27.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 50,970 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,933 shares during the period. Walmart makes up about 0.4% of Waddell & Associates LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Waddell & Associates LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $5,253,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 28.8% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,868,000 after acquiring an additional 21,939 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $800,000 after purchasing an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Peterson Wealth Management now owns 50,307 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,416,000 after purchasing an additional 1,715 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of 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, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its stake in Walmart by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 91,341 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,931,000 after purchasing an additional 1,048 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Key Walmart News
Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Large buyback authorized — Walmart approved a new US$30 billion repurchase plan (and recently completed ~US$16.14B), which supports EPS accretion and signals capital‑return focus. How Investors May Respond To Walmart E-commerce Strength And New US$30 Billion Buyback Plan
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and price‑target lifts — multiple firms (TD Cowen, Telsey, Jefferies and others) raised targets and reiterated Buy/Outperform ratings, boosting sentiment and supporting near‑term upside expectations. TD Cowen Raises Walmart (WMT) Price Target to $145 from $136
- Positive Sentiment: Earnings beat and guidance underpin momentum — Walmart beat Q results (EPS and revenue), set FY27 guidance, raised the dividend to $0.99 annualized and highlighted execution that is lifting margins/returns. Analysts are re‑rating based on this combined print. Assessing Walmart’s (WMT) Valuation After Earnings Beat Buyback Plan Dividend Hike And Tech Investments
- Positive Sentiment: Operational strength — U.S. segment delivered ~4.6% comp sales, and Walmart hit a record U.S. grocery penetration (~72%), driven by grocery traffic and higher e‑commerce mix — factors that support durable sales and margin upside. Walmart hits its highest U.S. grocery penetration rate ever
- Neutral Sentiment: Peer/valuation context — Coverage comparing Walmart to Costco and Dollar General highlights different business models (membership vs. mass-market) and shows WMT’s premium multiple vs. some peers; useful for relative valuation but not an immediate price driver. Best Consumer Stock to Buy Right Now: Costco or Walmart?
- Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — Several senior executives (including CEO John Furner and multiple EVPs) disclosed sizable stock sales this week; although often for personal/tax reasons, such sales can create short‑term sentiment headwinds. Filings: CEO Form 4 • EVP Christopher Nicholas Form 4 • EVP Latriece Watkins Form 4
- Negative Sentiment: Macro/labor caution — Walmart flagged a potential “hiring recession” context; weaker labor or consumer income dynamics could pressure discretionary spending and margins over time. Walmart Warns of “Hiring Recession”
Walmart Stock Up 0.7%
Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The business’s revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period 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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Walmart Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a $0.2475 dividend. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s payout ratio is currently 34.31%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of analysts have commented on WMT shares. HSBC lowered shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $122.00 to $131.00 in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Telsey Advisory Group raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $145.00 price objective on Walmart in a research note on Friday. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Walmart from $127.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $133.21.
Insider Activity at Walmart
In other Walmart news, EVP Donna Morris sold 76,181 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.79, for a total value of $9,430,445.99. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 402,072 shares in the company, valued at $49,772,492.88. This trade represents a 15.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.83, for a total transaction of $2,171,291.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,315,333 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $482,583,689.39. This represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 261,903 shares of company stock valued at $31,496,959. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.
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