Walmart Inc. $WMT Stock Position Raised by RiverFront Investment Group LLC

RiverFront Investment Group LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 4.9% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 710,816 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 33,235 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for 1.3% of RiverFront Investment Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. RiverFront Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $79,192,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 188.1% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,199,907,000 after purchasing an additional 7,614,172 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $49,015,626,000 after purchasing an additional 4,304,436 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 20.5% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 23,497,921 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,413,236,000 after purchasing an additional 4,004,277 shares in the last quarter. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth about $294,621,000. Finally, PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth about $280,736,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $131.45 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $126.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $119.25. 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 twelve month low of $93.43 and a twelve month high of $134.69. The company has a market capitalization of $1.05 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.97, a PEG ratio of 4.85 and a beta of 0.65.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.66 EPS. The firm’s revenue 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. As a group, research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a $0.2475 dividend. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s payout ratio is currently 36.13%.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UBS and other analysts expect Walmart to deliver another strong quarter, helped by resilient grocery demand, e-commerce growth, and advertising momentum, which could support the stock if results meet or exceed expectations.
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America said Walmart’s consistent sales growth should be rewarded by the market, reinforcing the view that WMT remains a defensive growth name ahead of earnings.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary also highlights Walmart as a long-term growth and momentum stock, with investors continuing to search for the name ahead of the report.
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart said it will host its first-quarter earnings conference call on May 21, keeping attention focused on upcoming results and guidance rather than any new business update. Walmart To Host First Quarter Earnings Conference Call May 21, 2026
• Negative Sentiment: One bearish analysis argued that expectations may be too high versus Walmart’s own guidance, warning that reported sales growth may not be enough to justify a further move higher and that investors may want to trim positions.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $147.00 price target (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Tigress Financial set a $150.00 price objective on Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Craig Hallum set a $150.00 price objective on Walmart in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, January 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $138.88.

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, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total value of $2,555,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 486,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $62,203,571.56. The trade was a 3.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 10,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total value of $1,214,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 108,294 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,153,389.24. This represents a 8.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 167,195 shares of company stock worth $20,975,804. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.