Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Purchased by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,681,137 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 131,465 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $276,321,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Collier Financial acquired a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter valued at $30,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 212.6% during the third quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 322 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP Donna Morris sold 76,181 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 402,072 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,772,492.88. This represents a 15.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.99, for a total transaction of $1,574,868.75. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 727,155 shares in the company, valued at $87,251,328.45. The trade was a 1.77% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 279,703 shares of company stock valued at $34,140,843 in the last three months. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $123.80 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $121.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $111.06. The company has a market capitalization of $986.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.18, a P/E/G ratio of 4.61 and a beta of 0.66. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $79.81 and a fifty-two week high of $134.69. 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 (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 analysts’ expectations of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.66 EPS. The company’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. Research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be issued a $0.2475 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Walmart’s payout ratio is presently 36.13%.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: OpenAI reportedly pulling back on direct purchases in ChatGPT could send more checkout traffic to retailer apps, giving Walmart’s commerce and app ecosystem an advantage. ChatGPT’s Retail Retreat Hands Walmart An AI Advantage: Analyst
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary and re?rated fair?value models are lifting the tech/AI narrative around Walmart, producing higher price targets and supporting upside expectations from investors focused on digital and ads monetization. How Walmart (WMT) Is Rewriting Its Story With Tech, AI And A Richer Valuation Debate
• Positive Sentiment: Company execution reminders — new store formats and ongoing omnichannel growth — reinforce the core retail case that underpins earnings stability. Walmart Opens Next Generation Supercenter in The Villages
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention is high — search and readership spikes (Zacks/Yahoo) and conference transcripts give analysts more to parse but contain no single market?moving surprise. Investors Heavily Search Walmart Inc. (WMT): Here is What You Need to Know
• Negative Sentiment: A reported sale by a 10% Walmart owner totaling roughly $136.45M adds supply pressure and can prompt short?term negative sentiment despite not reflecting company fundamentals. 10% Owner Of Walmart Sold $136.45M In Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Analyses highlight a cautious forward outlook and attention to a ~$100M regulatory settlement tied to the Spark Driver program — both factors that pressured the stock in recent sessions. Walmart slides as cautious outlook and regulatory settlement weigh on sentiment
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing tariff and import risks remain a margin headwind risk given Walmart’s large import footprint; rising trade frictions could pressure costs if not passed to customers. Walmart: Navigating A Bumpy Tariff Environment

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $140.00 target price (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 9th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $138.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Walmart from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Finally, Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 target price (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 have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $135.76.

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.