Wendell David Associates Inc. Cuts Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Wendell David Associates Inc. lowered its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 7.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 77,579 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 6,001 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up approximately 0.9% of Wendell David Associates Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Wendell David Associates Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $8,643,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Roble Belko & Company Inc boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 212.6% during the third 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 period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.96, for a total transaction of $1,600,725.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 687,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $83,821,522.52. This trade represents a 1.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total value of $4,158,004.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 533,466 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $65,082,852. This represents a 6.01% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 263,376 shares of company stock valued at $32,851,650. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $131.93 on Friday. 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 capitalization of $1.05 trillion, a P/E ratio of 48.15, a P/E/G ratio of 4.77 and a beta of 0.66. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $125.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $117.56. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $91.89 and a 12 month high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced 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. The business had revenue of $190.66 billion during 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%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm 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 forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $0.2475 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.13%.

Walmart News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Opened a third owned-and-operated U.S. milk processing plant (Robinson, Texas) — a $350M, 300k+ sq ft facility creating 400+ jobs that strengthens Walmart’s end‑to‑end dairy supply chain, supports lower-cost fresh milk, and reduces reliance on third‑party processors. This is a tangible, margin‑supporting capex move in a core grocery category. Walmart Opens Third Owned and Operated Milk Processing Facility
• Positive Sentiment: Large shareholder buying — Alecta Pensionsforsakring increased its Walmart stake by ~406,400 shares, a signal of institutional confidence that can support the stock. Alecta Boosts Walmart Stake
• Positive Sentiment: Local assortment and store upgrades — Walmart is expanding local product assortments (e.g., regionally targeted grocery SKUs) and earmarking millions for Arizona store upgrades, both moves aimed at winning budget‑constrained shoppers and improving store experience. These tactics can help comps and traffic. Walmart Eyes Local Products
• Neutral Sentiment: Restructuring store leadership and a fashion push — Management is eliminating the “store lead” role while expanding higher‑paid managerial positions and accelerating fashion/private‑label efforts (SoHo pop‑up, higher‑end private labels). Could drive sales mix improvement and retention, but also raises near‑term payroll/operating costs. Walmart Reshapes Store Leadership
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and media bullishness vs valuation — Several bullish write‑ups and comparison pieces (including Walmart vs. Costco) highlight share gains among higher‑income shoppers and e‑commerce growth, but note a rich forward P/E and mixed margin dynamics—important context for investors weighing further upside. Better Buy: Walmart or Costco Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate social and partnership items — Grants from the Acres for America program and expanded supplier partnerships are positive for brand/CSR but are unlikely to move fundamentals materially in the near term. NFWF Announces Grants from Walmart’s Acres for America

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on WMT. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $145.00 price objective (up from $128.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $138.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $140.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Guggenheim upped their target price on Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 target price on Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $137.79.

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.