Walmart Inc. $WMT Stock Position Raised by New York Life Investment Management LLC

New York Life Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 601,347 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,164 shares during the period. New York Life Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $66,996,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Fox Run Management L.L.C. bought a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,709,000. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. increased its position in Walmart by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 63,782 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $6,567,000 after buying an additional 9,061 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in Walmart by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,010,886 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $104,182,000 after buying an additional 28,026 shares during the period. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners increased its position in Walmart by 466.6% in the 3rd quarter. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners now owns 13,343 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,375,000 after buying an additional 10,988 shares during the period. Finally, Tradewinds LLC. bought a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $11,077,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart News Summary

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

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $132.46 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $126.30 and its 200-day moving average is $119.06. 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 $1.06 trillion, a PE ratio of 48.34, a PEG ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.65. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $91.89 and a 1-year high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 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 previous year, the firm earned $0.66 EPS. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Investors of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid a $0.2475 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Walmart’s payout ratio is currently 36.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Tigress Financial set a $150.00 price target on Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $137.00 price objective (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $145.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $145.00 price objective 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 given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $138.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.72, for a total value of $361,688.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 596,008 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $74,334,117.76. The trade was a 0.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 486,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,203,571.56. This represents a 3.95% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 167,195 shares of company stock worth $20,975,804 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.