Sun Financial Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT – Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 5,617 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $626,000.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Fox Run Management L.L.C. bought a new position in Walmart during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,709,000. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. grew its position in Walmart by 16.6% during the third quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 63,782 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,567,000 after acquiring an additional 9,061 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in Walmart by 2.9% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,010,886 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $104,182,000 after acquiring an additional 28,026 shares during the last quarter. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners grew its position in Walmart by 466.6% during the third quarter. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners now owns 13,343 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,375,000 after acquiring an additional 10,988 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tradewinds LLC. bought a new position in Walmart during the third quarter valued at approximately $11,077,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart
In other Walmart news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.84, for a total transaction of $1,638,525.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 674,162 shares in the company, valued at approximately $84,162,384.08. This trade represents a 1.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total value of $2,555,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 486,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $62,203,571.56. The trade was a 3.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 243,376 shares of company stock worth $30,406,250. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Walmart Price Performance
Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.Walmart’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.66 EPS. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Walmart Announces Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid 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 payout ratio is currently 36.13%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WMT. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $130.00 target price (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and issued 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 shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, March 6th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $127.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Two investment 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 MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $137.79.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on WMT
More Walmart News
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 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.
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