Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. Buys 40,665 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 678.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 46,663 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 40,665 shares during the period. Walmart comprises 1.5% of Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Peregrine Asset Advisers Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $5,199,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sun Financial Inc bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth $626,000. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 15.4% during the fourth quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 46,462 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,176,000 after purchasing an additional 6,209 shares during the last quarter. Heritage Financial Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Heritage Financial Services LLC now owns 3,144 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $350,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Reynders McVeigh Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 8.8% during the fourth quarter. Reynders McVeigh Capital Management LLC now owns 13,347 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,487,000 after purchasing an additional 1,077 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Woodard & Co. Asset Management Group Inc. ADV grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 24.8% during the fourth quarter. Woodard & Co. Asset Management Group Inc. ADV now owns 21,809 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,430,000 after purchasing an additional 4,327 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Donna Morris sold 76,181 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 402,072 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,772,492.88. This represents a 15.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.71, for a total value of $2,460,201.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,023,209 shares in the company, valued at $509,780,812.39. The trade was a 0.48% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 243,376 shares of company stock valued at $30,406,250. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart announced a third U.S. milk-processing facility, a $350 million investment to boost domestic dairy supply and vertical integration, which should cut supply-chain risk and support grocery margins. Walmart opens third U.S. milk processing facility with $350 million investment
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart earmarked millions for multiple Arizona store upgrades — investments that can boost traffic, comps and localized competitiveness. Walmart earmarks millions for multiple Arizona store upgrades
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional investor Alecta increased its Walmart stake by ~406,400 shares, a sign of confidence from a large pension investor. Alecta Pensionsforsakring Boosts Walmart Stake by 406,400 Shares
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is expanding local-product assortments (e.g., region-specific coffee/beans) to better serve price?sensitive consumers and differentiate merchandising — a low-cost way to improve basket relevance. Walmart Eyes Local Products as National Consumer Mood Sours
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and analyst pieces debate Walmart vs. Costco and reiterate bullish theses on WMT’s e?commerce gains and higher?income customer mix — these keep sentiment constructive but don’t change fundamentals immediately. Better Buy: Walmart or Costco Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Several bullish write-ups (Yahoo/InsiderMonkey summarizing a Substack thesis) highlight valuation and growth arguments; useful for sentiment but not new company action. Is Walmart Inc. (WMT) A Good Stock To Buy Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart’s Acres for America grants program awarded $5.4M in conservation grants — positive for ESG profile but limited direct financial impact. NFWF Announces $5.4 Million in Grants from Walmart’s Acres for America Program
• Neutral Sentiment: Internal leadership redesign (changes to store-lead roles and retention moves for high-paid managers) suggests workforce optimization; could reduce costs or create short-term disruption depending on execution. Walmart redesigns its leadership pipeline as managers making $400K stay for longer

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $131.60 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $91.89 and a 12-month high of $134.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.05 trillion, a PE ratio of 48.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.90 and a beta of 0.65. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $125.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $117.74.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.66 earnings per share. The firm’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, research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on WMT. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 target price (up from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Craig Hallum set a $150.00 target price on Walmart in a report on Friday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and set a $140.00 target price (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Guggenheim increased their target price on Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, HSBC cut Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and increased 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 assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $137.79.

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.