Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Sold by Pacer Advisors Inc.

Pacer Advisors Inc. lowered its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 342,381 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 11,642 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $38,145,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in Walmart by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,561 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $285,000 after buying an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Capstone Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Capstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,955 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $552,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Ellenbecker Investment Group raised its stake in Walmart by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Ellenbecker Investment Group now owns 14,475 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,613,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Matrix Trust Co raised its stake in Walmart by 20.0% during the fourth quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 547 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HRC Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. HRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,209 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $246,000 after buying an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.96, for a total value of $1,600,725.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 687,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $83,821,522.52. This represents a 1.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $65,082,852. This trade represents a 6.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 167,195 shares of company stock worth $20,975,804. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 target price on Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. DA Davidson set a $150.00 target price on Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $145.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $138.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $138.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.67.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s restructuring appears aimed at streamlining operations and improving coordination across tech and AI teams, which could boost efficiency and profitability if executed well.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary ahead of earnings remains constructive, with reports highlighting Walmart’s strong earnings-surprise track record and arguing that its premium valuation is justified by growth and execution.
• Positive Sentiment: Pre-earnings research from major analysts has reiterated favorable views on Walmart, suggesting expectations remain high heading into the company’s quarterly report.
• Neutral Sentiment: The job cuts were reported to be part of an internal reorganization rather than a direct response to AI replacing workers, which limits the read-through to near-term fundamentals. Walmart lays off or relocates about 1,000 corporate workers, WSJ reports
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles also framed the move as a broader digital-transformation effort, but the actual earnings impact is still unclear until Walmart reports results and guidance.
• Negative Sentiment: Layoffs can sometimes signal management caution or cost pressure, and investor reaction may be tempered by the fact that Walmart’s shares already trade at a premium valuation ahead of earnings.

Walmart Stock Up 0.9%

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $131.47 on Thursday. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $91.89 and a 52 week high of $134.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.05 trillion, a PE ratio of 47.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.85 and a beta of 0.65. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $126.21 and a 200-day moving average of $118.87. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.66 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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. Analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Investors 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 yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is 36.13%.

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.