Hilltop Holdings Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Hilltop Holdings Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 38.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 125,234 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 34,910 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for about 0.7% of Hilltop Holdings Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Hilltop Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $12,907,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in WMT. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Walmart during the second quarter worth approximately $5,367,770,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 9,648.7% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,486,374 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,123,138,000 after buying an additional 11,368,549 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 188.1% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,199,907,000 after acquiring an additional 7,614,172 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 431,817,510 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $42,223,116,000 after acquiring an additional 5,856,468 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 20.5% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 23,497,921 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,413,236,000 after acquiring an additional 4,004,277 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.10, for a total transaction of $1,694,437.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 591,084 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,308,944.40. This represents a 2.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.71, for a total transaction of $2,460,201.36. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,023,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $509,780,812.39. This trade represents a 0.48% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 278,278 shares of company stock worth $33,974,118 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart reported continued digital strength: eCommerce grew ~24% in the fiscal fourth quarter, reinforcing its omnichannel momentum and supporting revenue beat and modest upside to guidance — a clear near-term growth driver. Walmart eCommerce Up 24: Can Digital Momentum Continue?
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and portfolio shops remain constructive: Tigress Financial reiterated a Buy and raised its price target to $150, citing Walmart’s shift toward tech-driven omnichannel operations — a signal of upward analyst sentiment. Tigress Financial Sees Walmart Inc. (WMT) as Tech-Driven Retail Leader
• Positive Sentiment: Flipkart IPO progress (Walmart-backed) remains a potential longer-term upside — an equity event that could unlock value and generate cash/strategic optionality. Walmart-backed Flipkart preps for an IPO as early as this year
• Neutral Sentiment: Schaeffer’s options commentary flagged bullish setups and the possibility of further record highs for WMT — useful for options traders but not a broad fundamental catalyst. Walmart Stock Could Nab More Record Highs
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysis pieces (The Motley Fool) flag that Walmart’s digital push could pay off if fulfillment economics and ROIC improve; it’s strategic upside but execution-dependent. Will Walmart’s Digital Push Pay Off in 2026?
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is referenced in pieces about stock splits and retail-focused ETFs — background thematic support but not an immediate catalyst. 3 ETFs That Could Benefit as Consumers Tighten Their Budgets (WMT)
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical risk: coverage notes the Iran war and possible Strait of Hormuz disruptions could push supply-chain costs and retail prices higher — a margin and inflation risk for Walmart. How the Iran war could start to impact U.S. retail prices
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and sentiment pressure: commentary (247WallStreet) highlights retail investor criticism of WMT’s ~46x multiple and recent bearish social sentiment, raising the risk of multiple compression if growth disappoints. Reddit’s Loudest Walmart Critics Have a Point About That 46x Multiple

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price target (up from $136.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $127.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $147.00 target price (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $145.00 price target (up from $128.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $135.76.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $126.52 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $123.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $112.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.01 trillion, a PE ratio of 46.18, a P/E/G ratio of 4.71 and a beta of 0.66. 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 52 week low of $79.81 and a 52 week high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted 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. 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%.The company’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.66 earnings per share. 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, research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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