Mcdonald Partners LLC Lowers Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Mcdonald Partners LLC cut its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 71.2% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 8,223 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 20,337 shares during the period. Mcdonald Partners LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $847,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 28.8% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,868,000 after acquiring an additional 21,939 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $800,000 after buying an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,715 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised 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 worth $8,931,000 after acquiring an additional 1,048 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,255 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.21, for a total transaction of $167,178.55. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 586,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $78,104,886.09. This trade represents a 0.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total transaction of $1,214,600.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 108,294 shares in the company, valued at $13,153,389.24. This represents a 8.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 259,703 shares of company stock valued at $31,585,043. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America reinstated coverage with a Buy rating and a $150 price target, arguing Walmart is well positioned as a consumer hedge in a bifurcated economy, which supports upside to the stock. The Great Divide: Is Walmart the Ultimate Hedge for 2026?
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s Sam’s Club reported a 2.9% sales rise, +5.3% traffic and e‑commerce growth of 23%, signaling membership and digital momentum that should help margins and comps. Walmart’s Sam’s Club Sales Rise 2.9%
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart expanded its grocery/CPG assortment as brands (e.g., Liquid Youth) roll out at select Walmart stores — incremental SKU additions can modestly boost grocery sales and private‑label/commercial partnerships. Liquid Youth™ Expands Retail Footprint with Launch at Target and Walmart
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/press pieces highlight Walmart’s durable same‑store sales, wide moat, growth in e‑commerce, digital advertising and AI initiatives — positive fundamentals but already partly reflected in the rally. 3 Things to Know About Walmart Stock Before You Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage notes and valuation checks question whether the stock has run ahead of fundamentals after a ~32% one‑year rally — investors are debating growth vs. stretched multiples. Is Walmart (WMT) Still Attractive After 32% One Year Share Price Rally?
• Negative Sentiment: Major shareholders sold large blocks: reports show the Walton family trust sold roughly $380M of stock over five days and another report says Walmart’s largest shareholder offloaded about $220M — heavy insider selling can create near‑term supply pressure and raise investor concern. Walton Family Trust Dumps $380 Million in Walmart Stock Over Five Days
• Negative Sentiment: Additional reporting highlights another large ~$220M block sale by a major shareholder, reinforcing the headline risk from concentrated selling. Walmart’s Largest Shareholder Dumps $220 Million in Shares

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on WMT. HSBC downgraded shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $122.00 to $131.00 in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Barclays reissued 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. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on Walmart from $127.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 target price (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $134.42.

Walmart Trading Up 0.6%

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $127.91 on Wednesday. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $79.81 and a 52-week high of $134.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $121.07 and a 200-day simple moving average of $110.56. The company has a market capitalization of $1.02 trillion, a PE ratio of 46.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.73 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $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. On average, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Investors of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $0.2475 per share. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s payout ratio is currently 34.31%.

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.