Franklin Resources Inc. Sells 670,775 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Franklin Resources Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 35,899,581 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 670,775 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for about 0.9% of Franklin Resources Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $3,699,811,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Collier Financial bought a new position in Walmart in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 212.6% in the 3rd quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 322 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the period. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.99, for a total value of $1,574,868.75. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 727,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $87,251,328.45. The trade was a 1.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $65,082,852. This trade represents a 6.01% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 279,703 shares of company stock worth $34,140,843 in the last three months. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $125.12 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $997.23 billion, a PE ratio of 45.66, a PEG ratio of 4.63 and a beta of 0.66. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $79.81 and a 12 month high of $134.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $122.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $111.44.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $188.37 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.66 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current 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 given 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 payout ratio is currently 34.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, January 18th. Tigress Financial set a $150.00 target price on Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $150.00 target price on Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 target price (up from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. 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 has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $135.76.

Walmart 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.