AustralianSuper Pty Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT – Free Report) by 263.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 869,251 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 629,960 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd’s holdings in Walmart were worth $96,843,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Walmart by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $49,015,626,000 after purchasing an additional 4,304,436 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 1.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $19,046,104,000 after buying an additional 2,242,364 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 1.6% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,298,623 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,153,176,000 after buying an additional 634,211 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in Walmart by 3.5% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 27,268,463 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,810,288,000 after buying an additional 934,468 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its position in Walmart by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 24,990,692 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,575,541,000 after buying an additional 93,459 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.
Key Walmart News
Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:
- Positive Sentiment: UBS and other analysts expect Walmart to post a strong Q1, with sales growth and profit trends likely supporting another earnings beat. Walmart to Post Strong Q1, Extending Retail Lead on Sales Growth, UBS Says
- Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s earnings history and current setup suggest it could exceed expectations again, which is supporting bullish sentiment into the report. Walmart (WMT) Earnings Expected to Grow: What to Know Ahead of Next Week’s Release
- Positive Sentiment: Walmart continues to attract bullish technical and style-score commentary, with multiple outlets calling it a long-term momentum name. Why Walmart (WMT) is a Top Momentum Stock for the Long-Term
- Positive Sentiment: Reports that grocery and restaurant prices are rising may support Walmart’s value proposition and traffic, since consumers often trade down to lower-cost retailers during inflationary periods. Grocery and Restaurant Prices Post Biggest Jump Since 2022
- Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is cutting or relocating about 1,000 corporate jobs as part of a broader restructuring and tech-focused operating simplification. The move could improve efficiency over time, but it also signals ongoing internal change. Walmart cutting or relocating about 1,000 corporate jobs
- Neutral Sentiment: Several recent articles highlighted continued restructuring and AI/technology investment, which may help long-term competitiveness but does not change the near-term earnings outlook by itself. Walmart Cuts Hundreds Of Corporate Jobs As AI-Driven Efficiency Push Accelerates: Report
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Read Our Latest Analysis on Walmart
Insider Activity
In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total value of $2,555,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 486,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $62,203,571.56. The trade was a 3.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total transaction 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 approximately $65,082,852. This trade represents a 6.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 167,195 shares of company stock valued at $20,975,804. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Walmart Stock Performance
NASDAQ:WMT opened at $132.46 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $126.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $119.06. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $91.89 and a 1 year high of $134.69. The company has a market capitalization of $1.06 trillion, a P/E ratio of 48.34, a P/E/G ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.65.
Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $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. On average, analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.
Walmart Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently announced 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. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.13%.
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.
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