Ceredex Value Advisors LLC Buys 188,707 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Ceredex Value Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 66.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 474,619 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 188,707 shares during the period. Walmart makes up about 1.1% of Ceredex Value Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $48,914,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 0.9% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 435,652,710 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $44,898,368,000 after buying an additional 3,835,200 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 94,557,532 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $9,199,712,000 after acquiring an additional 263,718 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Walmart in the 2nd quarter valued at $5,367,770,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in Walmart by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,298,623 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,153,176,000 after acquiring an additional 634,211 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in Walmart by 3.6% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 31,973,329 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,126,775,000 after purchasing an additional 1,098,342 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is trading near 52‑week highs and is being highlighted as a long‑term favorite as new growth avenues (e‑commerce, advertising) support upside and buyer momentum. 2 Long Term Favorite Stocks Trading Near 52-Week Highs
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s long record of dividend increases and defensive retail positioning is cited favorably by income‑oriented investors, reinforcing buy‑and‑hold appeal. 2 Best Dividend Stocks to Buy Now and Hold Forever
• Positive Sentiment: Management continuity under new CEO John Furner—an internal, experienced operator—reduces execution risk and reassures investors about strategy continuity. Here’s Everything Investors Need to Know About Walmart’s New CEO, John Furner
• Positive Sentiment: Macro consumption trends (a shift toward more price‑conscious shoppers) and retail ETFs that overweight discount/warehouse players give Walmart exposure to potential inflows as consumers tighten budgets. (MarketBeat coverage of ETF themes; Walmart is a meaningful holding in retail ETFs.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Relative to Costco, Walmart’s fast‑growing ad and e‑commerce businesses are positives, but Costco’s superior comps and membership economics justify a premium—this frames valuation comparisons for investors considering sector allocation. Walmart vs. Costco: Which Stock Is the Better Buy?
• Negative Sentiment: Significant Walton Family trust share sales (recent ~$220M block) have reduced insider ownership and raise near‑term supply/valuation questions — a bearish catalyst when combined with prior 2025 sell‑downs. Walton Family Trust Sells Walmart Inc. (WMT) Shares Valued at $220 Million
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart agreed to a roughly $100M settlement tied to its Spark Driver delivery program and will face new compliance measures—this raises one‑time costs and operational oversight concerns. Walmart Insider Sales And Spark Driver Settlement Frame Valuation Questions
• Negative Sentiment: Escalating geopolitical tensions have pushed crude and gasoline prices sharply higher; rising fuel costs can dent discretionary spend and curb store traffic, which is a downside risk for Walmart’s US volumes and margins. Walmart and three retailers most at risk from rising gasoline prices

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on WMT shares. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday. Tigress Financial set a $150.00 target price on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Argus upgraded Walmart to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, CICC Research assumed coverage on Walmart in a report on Friday, December 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $125.00 target price for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $135.76.

Walmart Trading Up 0.4%

NASDAQ WMT opened at $124.32 on Tuesday. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $79.81 and a 52 week high of $134.69. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $122.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $111.25. 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 firm has a market cap of $990.85 billion, a PE ratio of 45.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.61 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced 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. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The company had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.66 earnings per share. Walmart’s 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. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.83, for a total transaction of $2,171,291.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,315,333 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $482,583,689.39. This represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.99, for a total value of $1,574,868.75. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 727,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $87,251,328.45. This trade represents a 1.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 279,703 shares of company stock worth $34,140,843 over the last quarter. Company 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.