Walmart Inc. $WMT is Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC’s 6th Largest Position

Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 389.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 254,219 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 202,232 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for 0.8% of Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest holding. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $26,200,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Collier Financial acquired a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc grew 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 last quarter. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on WMT. Wall Street Zen cut Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, January 18th. CICC Research began coverage on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, December 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $125.00 price objective on the stock. Craig Hallum set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Finally, Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $135.76.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total transaction of $2,555,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 486,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,203,571.56. This trade represents a 3.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.10, for a total value of $1,694,437.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 591,084 shares in the company, valued at $76,308,944.40. This trade represents a 2.17% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 278,278 shares of company stock valued at $33,974,118 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Up 0.9%

WMT opened at $126.52 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.24. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $79.81 and a 12 month high of $134.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.01 trillion, a P/E ratio of 46.18, a P/E/G ratio of 4.71 and a beta of 0.66. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $123.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $112.06.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.Walmart’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.66 earnings per share. 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, equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 issued 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 is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.31%.

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.