Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. Raises Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. lifted its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 8.2% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 208,470 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 15,784 shares during the quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $21,485,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Access Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Walmart in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP acquired a new stake in Walmart during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc lifted its holdings in Walmart by 212.6% during the 3rd quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 322 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $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 worth approximately $39,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $126.76 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $117.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $107.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.01 trillion, a P/E ratio of 44.32, a PEG ratio of 4.93 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $79.81 and a 52 week high of $131.79.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.31% and a net margin of 3.26%.The firm had revenue of $179.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $175.15 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.58 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and set a $147.00 price objective (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $140.00 target price (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Truist Financial set a $127.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, DA Davidson set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Thirty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $126.26.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho raised its price target and reiterated an outperform rating, signaling further upside expectations from analysts. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Another analyst upgrade helped push WMT to a 52?week high, supporting momentum and analyst-driven buying. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Fisher Asset Management added roughly 328,229 shares, a vote of confidence from a large institutional investor that can support the share price. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is testing “next?gen” Supercenters (Jacksonville) that combine faster digital fulfilment and improved store layouts — a tangible execution story for long?term growth. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage on Walmart’s AI and tech strategy positions it to benefit indirectly from big?tech AI investments, but the payoff is longer term and capital?intensive. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation commentary notes strong short? and medium?term share gains; elevated multiples (P/E ~44.3, PEG ~4.9) make the stock sensitive to profit?taking and any disappointment. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Estée Lauder sued Walmart alleging counterfeit luxury beauty products sold via third?party sellers on Walmart’s marketplace — the suit seeks injunctive relief and damages, creating legal, reputational and potential compliance costs. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: December retail sales came in flat (vs. expectations for growth), a data point that weakens near?term retail demand expectations and can pressure Walmart’s trading multiple. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Kroger’s hiring of Greg Foran (ex?Walmart U.S.) re?energizes a key competitor and could intensify grocery share battles, a strategic headwind for Walmart’s U.S. grocery margins. Read More.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total value of $2,313,804.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 4,274,856 shares in the company, valued at $509,434,589.52. This represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Donna Morris sold 76,181 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.79, for a total transaction of $9,430,445.99. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 402,072 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,772,492.88. The trade was a 15.93% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 229,196 shares of company stock valued at $26,957,858. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

About Walmart

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.