Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) Declares Dividend Increase – $0.25 Per Share

Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, February 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 20th will be paid a dividend of 0.2475 per share by the retailer on Monday, April 6th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 20th. This is a 5.3% increase from Walmart’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.24.

Walmart has raised its dividend payment by an average of 0.0%annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 53 consecutive years. Walmart has a payout ratio of 32.2% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Walmart to earn $3.02 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.94 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 31.1%.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT opened at $124.87 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $995.24 billion, a PE ratio of 43.66, a PEG ratio of 4.99 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Walmart has a twelve month low of $79.81 and a twelve month high of $134.69. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $119.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $109.09.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its earnings results 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 21.31% and a net margin of 3.26%.The business had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $188.37 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.66 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Walmart will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total value of $2,313,804.72. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 4,274,856 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $509,434,589.52. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,255 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.21, for a total transaction of $167,178.55. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 586,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $78,104,886.09. This trade represents a 0.21% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 211,696 shares of company stock valued at $25,176,467. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Walmart

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Renaissance Group LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Renaissance Group LLC now owns 9,636 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,074,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Calton & Associates Inc. raised its position in shares of Walmart by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Calton & Associates Inc. now owns 27,220 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,033,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Advocacy Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Advocacy Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,392 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $378,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the period. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in Walmart by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,561 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $285,000 after buying an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capstone Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Capstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,955 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $552,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.