Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Purchased by L & S Advisors Inc

L & S Advisors Inc boosted its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 25.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 78,501 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 15,712 shares during the period. Walmart comprises 0.8% of L & S Advisors Inc’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position. L & S Advisors Inc’s holdings in Walmart were worth $8,746,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in Walmart in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP acquired a new stake in Walmart in the third quarter valued at $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new stake in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 57.4% in the fourth quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $130.00 price target (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 price target (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, DA Davidson set a $150.00 price target on shares of Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.88.

Walmart Stock Down 0.8%

WMT stock opened at $131.45 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $93.43 and a fifty-two week high of $134.69. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $126.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $119.15. The stock has a market cap of $1.05 trillion, a PE ratio of 47.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.65.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The business had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.66 EPS. The company’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. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.2475 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.13%.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UBS and other analysts expect Walmart to deliver another strong quarter, helped by resilient grocery demand, e-commerce growth, and advertising momentum, which could support the stock if results meet or exceed expectations.
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America said Walmart’s consistent sales growth should be rewarded by the market, reinforcing the view that WMT remains a defensive growth name ahead of earnings.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary also highlights Walmart as a long-term growth and momentum stock, with investors continuing to search for the name ahead of the report.
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart said it will host its first-quarter earnings conference call on May 21, keeping attention focused on upcoming results and guidance rather than any new business update. Walmart To Host First Quarter Earnings Conference Call May 21, 2026
• Negative Sentiment: One bearish analysis argued that expectations may be too high versus Walmart’s own guidance, warning that reported sales growth may not be enough to justify a further move higher and that investors may want to trim positions.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total transaction of $2,555,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 486,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $62,203,571.56. This trade represents a 3.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.96, for a total transaction of $1,600,725.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 687,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $83,821,522.52. The trade was a 1.87% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 167,195 shares of company stock worth $20,975,804 in the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.