Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Sold by Gradient Investments LLC

Gradient Investments LLC decreased its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 2.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 408,514 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 12,183 shares during the period. Gradient Investments LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $45,513,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 28.8% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,868,000 after acquiring an additional 21,939 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $800,000 after acquiring an additional 485 shares during the period. Peterson Wealth Management lifted its position in Walmart by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Peterson Wealth Management now owns 50,307 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,416,000 after purchasing an additional 1,715 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 13,008 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,272,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its stake in Walmart by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 91,341 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,931,000 after purchasing an additional 1,048 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total transaction of $2,555,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 486,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $62,203,571.56. This trade represents a 3.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 10,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 108,294 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,153,389.24. The trade was a 8.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 274,278 shares of company stock valued at $33,605,809. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $150.00 price objective on Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Wall Street Zen lowered Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, January 18th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 target price (up from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $145.00 price target on Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $135.76.

Walmart Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $120.72 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $124.13 and a 200-day moving average of $113.09. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm has a market cap of $962.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.06, a P/E/G ratio of 4.43 and a beta of 0.66. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $79.81 and a twelve month high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $190.66 billion for 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%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $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. As a group, analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 payout ratio is currently 36.13%.

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.