Holocene Advisors LP Has $331.85 Million Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Holocene Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 15.0% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 3,220,000 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 420,000 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for approximately 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 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Fox Run Management L.L.C. bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,709,000. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 24.2% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,175,703 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $121,168,000 after purchasing an additional 229,220 shares in the last quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC grew its position in Walmart by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 5,091,126 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $497,771,000 after purchasing an additional 42,645 shares during the period. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. grew its position in Walmart by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 63,782 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,567,000 after purchasing an additional 9,061 shares during the period. Finally, World Investment Advisors increased its stake in Walmart by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 293,866 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $30,286,000 after purchasing an additional 14,487 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.71, for a total transaction of $2,460,201.36. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,023,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $509,780,812.39. This trade represents a 0.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was 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 represents a 6.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 278,278 shares of company stock valued at $33,974,118 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

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

Walmart Stock Up 0.9%

Walmart stock opened at $126.52 on Monday. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $79.81 and a fifty-two week high of $134.69. The stock has a market cap of $1.01 trillion, a PE ratio of 46.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.71 and a beta of 0.66. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $123.16 and its 200 day simple moving average 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 (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.66 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter 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. Research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Investors of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $0.2475 per share. 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 (DPR) is presently 34.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on WMT. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $138.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $140.00 price target (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Walmart from $110.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $147.00 price objective (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Walmart currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.