Trust Co. of Vermont Reduces Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Trust Co. of Vermont reduced its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 3.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 160,271 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 5,880 shares during the quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont’s holdings in Walmart were worth $17,856,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ipswich Investment Management Co. Inc. acquired a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $207,000. Oldfather Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the fourth quarter worth about $296,000. Pictet North America Advisors SA increased its position in shares of Walmart by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Pictet North America Advisors SA now owns 3,854 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $429,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Cyr Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $974,000. Finally, Banque Pictet & Cie SA boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 92.8% in the 4th quarter. Banque Pictet & Cie SA now owns 66,147 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $7,369,000 after purchasing an additional 31,836 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmex (Walmart de México y Centroamérica), Walmart’s largest international unit, announced a $2.5 billion investment for 2026 to expand stores and operations in Mexico — a near-term growth catalyst for international revenue and an earnings diversification driver. Walmart (WMT) Unit Walmex Plans $2.5B Investment in Mexico
• Positive Sentiment: Commentators are flagging Walmart as a defensive holding that performs well in stagflation or weak-consumer scenarios because it sells essential goods across income cycles, supporting demand for the stock in risk-off moves. Stagflation Fears Are Back
• Positive Sentiment: Other retail-focused analysis highlights Walmart among retailers structurally positioned to withstand tariffs and inflation pressures, reinforcing the defensive narrative for long-term investors. 3 Retail Stocks Built to Survive Tariffs, Inflation, and the Next 30 Years
• Positive Sentiment: TV commentator Jim Cramer expressed a bullish near-term take on Walmart’s price action, which can attract momentum-driven flows and retail buying. Jim Cramer on Walmart
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/sector research notes defensive sectors (consumer staples/retail staples) are outperforming as recession odds rise, which benefits Walmart but is a broader market theme rather than a company-specific trigger. As Recession Odds Climb, Defensive Sectors Continue to Outperform (WMT)
• Neutral Sentiment: Profiles noting the Walton family’s rising net worth and billionaire rankings are headline-grabbing but have limited direct impact on operations or near-term stock fundamentals. Tech Titans Dominate Billionaires List. Walmart Heirs Join the Elite.
• Negative Sentiment: Some outlets lay out reasons to sell WMT (valuation, margin pressure, or better opportunities elsewhere), which can weigh on sentiment among more cautious investors. 3 reasons to sell WMT and 1 stock to buy instead
• Negative Sentiment: Analysis suggesting Walmart’s “recession signal” is flashing red raises macro concerns: stronger demand for Walmart can indicate broader consumer stress and a deteriorating economic environment, which is a mixed/negative macro signal for markets. The Walmart (WMT) Recession Signal Is Flashing Red

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total value of $1,214,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 108,294 shares in the company, valued at $13,153,389.24. This trade represents a 8.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of Walmart 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 486,764 shares in the company, valued at $62,203,571.56. This represents a 3.95% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 274,278 shares of company stock valued at $33,825,793. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on WMT shares. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $147.00 price target (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Tigress Financial set a $150.00 price objective on Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and set a $140.00 target price (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $135.76.

Walmart Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of WMT stock opened at $125.79 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.00 trillion, a P/E ratio of 45.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 0.66. 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $124.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $114.13. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $79.81 and a twelve month high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analysts’ expectations of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.66 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue 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. Equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid a $0.2475 dividend. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.