Rathbones Group PLC lowered its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT – Free Report) by 6.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,386,505 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 95,103 shares during the period. Rathbones Group PLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $154,471,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Collier Financial bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Roble Belko & Company Inc grew its position in shares of Walmart by 212.6% during the 3rd quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 322 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.
Trending Headlines about Walmart
Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s marketplace is gaining traction, with reported ~20% marketplace sales growth and higher seller/fulfillment adoption that can boost gross margins through less inventory, more advertising revenue and memberships. Walmart Marketplace Gains Traction: What Does it Mean for Margins?
- Positive Sentiment: Walmart is expanding into premium beauty with a La Roche?Posay rollout and pharmacist-led skincare consultations in ~1,460 stores — a move that could raise average basket spend and improve the company’s higher-margin assortment. Walmart’s La Roche Posay Push Tests Premium Beauty And Valuation Story
- Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is rolling out digital shelf tags across U.S. stores to improve store efficiency and margin management; investors should weigh potential cost savings and dynamic pricing flexibility against regulatory and customer concerns about pricing transparency. Walmart’s Digital Price Tags Put Valuation And Margin Story In Focus
- Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary remains generally constructive in recent media pieces assessing whether WMT is a buy and comparing it to peers; these stories support the narrative of steady fundamentals but don’t point to an imminent catalyst. Is Walmart (WMT) a Buy as Wall Street Analysts Look Optimistic?
- Neutral Sentiment: Corporate social programs (13th annual Fight Hunger. Spark Change.) and general corporate history pieces are positive for brand but unlikely to move the stock materially. For 13th consecutive year, Walmart, Sam’s Club and Feeding America partner for ‘Fight Hunger. Spark Change.
- Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: coverage notes WMT shares fell and snapped a six-session winning streak, reflecting near-term profit-taking or concern about valuation after a strong multi?year run. Walmart shares snapped six-session winning streak
- Negative Sentiment: Headline pieces highlight that WMT slid despite broader market gains, reinforcing that investors are trimming exposure or re?rating the stock amid valuation and pricing concerns. Walmart (WMT) Stock Drops Despite Market Gains: Important Facts to Note
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Get Our Latest Research Report on Walmart
Insider Buying and Selling
In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total value 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 approximately $62,203,571.56. This represents a 3.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total transaction of $4,158,004.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 533,466 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $65,082,852. This represents a 6.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 274,278 shares of company stock worth $33,825,793. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.
Walmart Trading Down 3.4%
Walmart stock opened at $122.49 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $125.26 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $114.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $976.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.70, a PEG ratio of 4.69 and a beta of 0.66. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $81.03 and a 52-week high of $134.69.
Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT – Get Free Report) 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. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. Walmart’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $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. Sell-side analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.
Walmart Dividend Announcement
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid a $0.2475 dividend. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.13%.
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.
See Also
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