Guardian Partners Inc. Cuts Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Guardian Partners Inc. decreased its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 4.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 127,921 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 5,704 shares during the period. Walmart comprises about 1.1% of Guardian Partners Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Guardian Partners Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $13,043,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Walmart by 0.9% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 435,652,710 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $44,898,368,000 after acquiring an additional 3,835,200 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Walmart by 0.3% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 94,557,532 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $9,199,712,000 after purchasing an additional 263,718 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Walmart during the second quarter worth about $5,367,770,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 1.6% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,298,623 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,153,176,000 after purchasing an additional 634,211 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 31,973,329 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,126,775,000 after purchasing an additional 1,098,342 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Trading Up 0.4%

NASDAQ WMT opened at $123.80 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $986.71 billion, a PE ratio of 45.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.61 and a beta of 0.66. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $79.81 and a 1-year high of $134.69. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $121.87 and a 200-day moving average of $111.00. 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 (NASDAQ:WMT) 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 business had revenue of $190.66 billion for 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 revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be issued a $0.2475 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Mizuho increased their price objective on Walmart from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 target price on Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $145.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $120.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $135.76.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.83, for a total value of $2,171,291.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 4,315,333 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $482,583,689.39. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total transaction of $4,158,004.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 533,466 shares in the company, valued at $65,082,852. The trade was a 6.01% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 279,703 shares of company stock valued at $34,140,843 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walmart News Summary

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

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.