Holocene Advisors LP Purchases 420,000 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Holocene Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 15.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,220,000 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 420,000 shares during the period. Walmart comprises about 0.8% of Holocene Advisors LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Holocene Advisors LP’s holdings in Walmart were worth $331,853,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WMT. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.0% during the third quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 9,926 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,023,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.1% in the second quarter. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,804 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $470,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the period. Hemington Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.8% in the third quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 5,695 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $586,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the period. Boomfish Wealth Group LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Boomfish Wealth Group LLC now owns 3,701 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $381,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bailard Inc. raised its holdings in Walmart by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 29,445 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,035,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart reported continued digital strength: eCommerce grew ~24% in the fiscal fourth quarter, reinforcing its omnichannel momentum and supporting revenue beat and modest upside to guidance — a clear near-term growth driver. Walmart eCommerce Up 24: Can Digital Momentum Continue?
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and portfolio shops remain constructive: Tigress Financial reiterated a Buy and raised its price target to $150, citing Walmart’s shift toward tech-driven omnichannel operations — a signal of upward analyst sentiment. Tigress Financial Sees Walmart Inc. (WMT) as Tech-Driven Retail Leader
• Positive Sentiment: Flipkart IPO progress (Walmart-backed) remains a potential longer-term upside — an equity event that could unlock value and generate cash/strategic optionality. Walmart-backed Flipkart preps for an IPO as early as this year
• Neutral Sentiment: Schaeffer’s options commentary flagged bullish setups and the possibility of further record highs for WMT — useful for options traders but not a broad fundamental catalyst. Walmart Stock Could Nab More Record Highs
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysis pieces (The Motley Fool) flag that Walmart’s digital push could pay off if fulfillment economics and ROIC improve; it’s strategic upside but execution-dependent. Will Walmart’s Digital Push Pay Off in 2026?
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is referenced in pieces about stock splits and retail-focused ETFs — background thematic support but not an immediate catalyst. 3 ETFs That Could Benefit as Consumers Tighten Their Budgets (WMT)
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical risk: coverage notes the Iran war and possible Strait of Hormuz disruptions could push supply-chain costs and retail prices higher — a margin and inflation risk for Walmart. How the Iran war could start to impact U.S. retail prices
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and sentiment pressure: commentary (247WallStreet) highlights retail investor criticism of WMT’s ~46x multiple and recent bearish social sentiment, raising the risk of multiple compression if growth disappoints. Reddit’s Loudest Walmart Critics Have a Point About That 46x Multiple

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on WMT shares. Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Craig Hallum set a $150.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, March 6th. DA Davidson set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and issued a $120.00 price objective (up from $115.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, November 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Walmart from $110.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $135.76.

Walmart Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $126.52 on Monday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $123.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $112.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.79. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $79.81 and a 52-week high of $134.69. The company has a market capitalization of $1.01 trillion, a P/E ratio of 46.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.71 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The company had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $188.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.66 earnings per share. Walmart’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a $0.2475 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 34.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.27, for a total value of $2,445,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 506,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,962,034.28. The trade was a 3.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of the business’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 value of $4,158,004.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 533,466 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,082,852. This trade represents a 6.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 278,278 shares of company stock worth $33,974,118 over the last three months. 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.