Walmart Inc. $WMT Holdings Lifted by New York Life Investment Management LLC

New York Life Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 0.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 601,347 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 5,164 shares during the quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $66,996,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Collier Financial bought a new position in Walmart during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new position in Walmart during the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Walmart during the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 57.4% in the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total transaction of $2,555,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 486,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $62,203,571.56. This trade represents a 3.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.72, for a total value of $361,688.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 596,008 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $74,334,117.76. This trade represents a 0.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 167,195 shares of company stock worth $20,975,804. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UBS and other analysts expect Walmart to post a strong Q1, with sales growth and profit trends likely supporting another earnings beat. Walmart to Post Strong Q1, Extending Retail Lead on Sales Growth, UBS Says
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s earnings history and current setup suggest it could exceed expectations again, which is supporting bullish sentiment into the report. Walmart (WMT) Earnings Expected to Grow: What to Know Ahead of Next Week’s Release
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart continues to attract bullish technical and style-score commentary, with multiple outlets calling it a long-term momentum name. Why Walmart (WMT) is a Top Momentum Stock for the Long-Term
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that grocery and restaurant prices are rising may support Walmart’s value proposition and traffic, since consumers often trade down to lower-cost retailers during inflationary periods. Grocery and Restaurant Prices Post Biggest Jump Since 2022
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is cutting or relocating about 1,000 corporate jobs as part of a broader restructuring and tech-focused operating simplification. The move could improve efficiency over time, but it also signals ongoing internal change. Walmart cutting or relocating about 1,000 corporate jobs
• Neutral Sentiment: Several recent articles highlighted continued restructuring and AI/technology investment, which may help long-term competitiveness but does not change the near-term earnings outlook by itself. Walmart Cuts Hundreds Of Corporate Jobs As AI-Driven Efficiency Push Accelerates: Report

Walmart Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $132.46 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $126.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $119.06. The company has a market cap of $1.06 trillion, a P/E ratio of 48.34, a P/E/G ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $91.89 and a 1 year high of $134.69.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business 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. As a group, analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Investors of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid a $0.2475 dividend. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.13%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on WMT shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price target on Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Mizuho increased their price target on Walmart from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Truist Financial increased their price target on Walmart from $127.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 price target on Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.67.

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.