Monarch Capital Management Inc. Trims Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Monarch Capital Management Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 3.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 125,935 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 4,589 shares during the period. Walmart comprises about 3.4% of Monarch Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Monarch Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $14,030,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Collier Financial bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 193.0% during the fourth quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s in‑app AI assistant “Sparky” is gaining traction: users who interact with it spend roughly 35% more per order and about half of app shoppers have tried it, supporting digital sales growth and higher advertising/commerce monetization potential. Walmart’s AI Push Gains Steam
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart expanded its Google partnership to integrate Gemini AI into its shopping app for instant checkout and personalization — a move that strengthens the “platform” story for WMT, supporting digital ecosystem growth (ads, app engagement, checkout efficiency). Walmart Gemini AI Deal Strengthens Platform Thesis
• Positive Sentiment: Guggenheim raised its price target on WMT from $120 to $137 and put a “buy” rating on the stock, signaling analyst conviction that there’s additional upside tied to Walmart’s strategy execution. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Industry outlooks highlight Walmart as a leader among supermarket/retail peers due to omnichannel and digital transformation, which could sustain multiple expansion relative to slower peers. Zacks Industry Outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional filings show modest buying — Apollon Wealth/Financial increased holdings in WMT — a vote of confidence but small relative to Walmart’s huge float. Apollon Wealth Management Buys WMT
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend comparison vs. Costco highlights differing dividend growth trajectories; income investors may prefer higher dividend growth elsewhere even if Walmart’s overall cash generation and buybacks remain solid. Walmart vs. Costco Dividend Comparison
• Negative Sentiment: Headline coverage notes the stock is trading down and asks whether to sell, contributing to short‑term selling pressure and volatile flows. Walmart Stock Declines While Market Improves
• Negative Sentiment: Reports on India’s quick‑commerce market note Flipkart (Walmart-owned) is pushing hard on fast delivery in a crowded market where profitability is pressured — an execution/cost risk for international growth. Flipkart and Quick Commerce Pressure

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on WMT. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $120.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, HSBC cut shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $122.00 to $131.00 in a report on Friday, February 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $137.64.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $124.57 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $125.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $115.42. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $90.61 and a 52-week high of $134.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $993.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.46, a P/E/G ratio of 4.72 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analysts’ expectations of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.66 earnings per share. Walmart’s revenue 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. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be issued 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 payout ratio is 36.13%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total transaction of $4,158,004.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 533,466 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $65,082,852. The trade was a 6.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total value of $2,555,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 486,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,203,571.56. This trade represents a 3.95% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 274,278 shares of company stock valued at $33,825,793. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.