Private Advisor Group LLC Acquires 20,228 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Private Advisor Group LLC grew its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 2.7% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 767,144 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 20,228 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $79,062,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Fox Run Management L.L.C. bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,709,000. CWM LLC grew its position in Walmart by 24.2% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,175,703 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $121,168,000 after acquiring an additional 229,220 shares during the period. Neuberger Berman Group LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 0.8% during the second quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 5,091,126 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $497,771,000 after acquiring an additional 42,645 shares in the last quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. raised its stake in Walmart by 16.6% during the third quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 63,782 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $6,567,000 after acquiring an additional 9,061 shares in the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 5.2% during the third quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 293,866 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $30,286,000 after acquiring an additional 14,487 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $123.80 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $121.87 and a 200-day moving average of $111.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.79. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $79.81 and a twelve month high of $134.69. The firm has a market cap of $986.71 billion, a PE ratio of 45.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.61 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.66 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. 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 predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm’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 value of $1,694,437.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 591,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $76,308,944.40. This trade represents a 2.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total transaction of $2,555,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 486,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $62,203,571.56. This trade represents a 3.95% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 279,703 shares of company stock valued at $34,140,843 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on WMT. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $127.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, January 18th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 price target (up from $136.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. One 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, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $135.76.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: OpenAI reportedly pulling back on direct purchases in ChatGPT could send more checkout traffic to retailer apps, giving Walmart’s commerce and app ecosystem an advantage. ChatGPT’s Retail Retreat Hands Walmart An AI Advantage: Analyst
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary and re‑rated fair‑value models are lifting the tech/AI narrative around Walmart, producing higher price targets and supporting upside expectations from investors focused on digital and ads monetization. How Walmart (WMT) Is Rewriting Its Story With Tech, AI And A Richer Valuation Debate
• Positive Sentiment: Company execution reminders — new store formats and ongoing omnichannel growth — reinforce the core retail case that underpins earnings stability. Walmart Opens Next Generation Supercenter in The Villages
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention is high — search and readership spikes (Zacks/Yahoo) and conference transcripts give analysts more to parse but contain no single market‑moving surprise. Investors Heavily Search Walmart Inc. (WMT): Here is What You Need to Know
• Negative Sentiment: A reported sale by a 10% Walmart owner totaling roughly $136.45M adds supply pressure and can prompt short‑term negative sentiment despite not reflecting company fundamentals. 10% Owner Of Walmart Sold $136.45M In Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Analyses highlight a cautious forward outlook and attention to a ~$100M regulatory settlement tied to the Spark Driver program — both factors that pressured the stock in recent sessions. Walmart slides as cautious outlook and regulatory settlement weigh on sentiment
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing tariff and import risks remain a margin headwind risk given Walmart’s large import footprint; rising trade frictions could pressure costs if not passed to customers. Walmart: Navigating A Bumpy Tariff Environment

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.