BNP Paribas Increases Stock Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

BNP Paribas raised its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 380,648 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,735 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for 1.2% of BNP Paribas’ holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. BNP Paribas’ holdings in Walmart were worth $39,168,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Collier Financial bought a new stake in Walmart in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 212.6% in the third quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 322 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on WMT. CICC Research began coverage on Walmart in a research report on Friday, December 26th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $125.00 price target for the company. DA Davidson set a $150.00 price target on shares of Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Tigress Financial set a $150.00 target price on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 price target (up from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $135.76.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT opened at $126.52 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The firm has a market cap of $1.01 trillion, a PE ratio of 46.18, a P/E/G ratio of 4.71 and a beta of 0.66. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $79.81 and a 1 year high of $134.69. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $123.16 and a 200-day moving average price of $111.95.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its 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. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The business’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $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. Sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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 is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 486,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,203,571.56. This trade represents a 3.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.10, for a total value of $1,694,437.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 591,084 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,308,944.40. This trade represents a 2.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 279,703 shares of company stock valued at $34,140,843 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.