Lathrop Investment Management Co. Decreases Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Lathrop Investment Management Co. lowered its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 5.8% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 258,736 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 15,835 shares during the period. Walmart comprises about 4.9% of Lathrop Investment Management Co.’s holdings, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Lathrop Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $26,665,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 28.8% during 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 last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $800,000 after buying an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Wealth Management lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 1,715 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 0.9% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 13,008 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,272,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 1.2% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 91,341 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,931,000 after purchasing an additional 1,048 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Donna Morris sold 76,181 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.79, for a total value of $9,430,445.99. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 402,072 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,772,492.88. This trade represents a 15.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total value of $4,158,004.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 533,466 shares in the company, valued at $65,082,852. This trade represents a 6.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 259,703 shares of company stock worth $31,585,043 over the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $127.95 on Monday. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $79.81 and a twelve month high of $134.69. 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 stock has a market cap of $1.02 trillion, a P/E ratio of 46.70, a PEG ratio of 5.03 and a beta of 0.66. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $120.44 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $110.18.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm 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. As a group, equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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 is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.31%.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America initiated coverage with a “Buy” rating and a $150 price target, signaling materially higher analyst optimism versus the current share level (roughly +17% upside from the cited price).
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results showed a slight EPS beat (reported $0.74 vs. $0.73 est.) and revenue topped estimates; management issued FY2027 EPS guidance of $2.75–$2.85, supporting multiple expansion and investor confidence.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is rolling out its Scintilla In-Store data platform and expanding private/partner brands, moves that reinforce higher-margin adjacencies (ads, marketplace, fulfillment) and long-term e?commerce/store integration growth. Walmart Supplier Tech And New Brands Reframe Stores As Data Platforms
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage consensus remains constructive — a “Moderate Buy” consensus was reported, reflecting institutional buy-side alignment but some variance in targets. Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart leadership will participate in upcoming investor events and webcasts — provides management access to investors for strategy updates and Q&A, which can influence near-term sentiment. Walmart Leadership to Participate in Upcoming Investor Events
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart agreed to settle FTC claims over Spark driver pay for roughly $100M total, including a $16M payout to drivers over alleged misleading pay/tip claims — a near-term cash hit and reputational/legal overhang, though not material to operating margins long-term at scale. Walmart agrees to $100M settlement over deceptive pay practices in Spark Driver program Walmart agrees to pay $16 million to its Spark delivery drivers to settle claims it misled them over tips and pay

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on WMT. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $140.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Argus upgraded Walmart to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Mizuho increased their target price 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. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $150.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 price target (up from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $134.42.

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.