Syverson Strege & Co Decreases Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Syverson Strege & Co lessened its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 19.8% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 24,503 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 6,051 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up about 0.6% of Syverson Strege & Co’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Syverson Strege & Co’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,525,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 2nd quarter valued at $5,367,770,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 9,648.7% during the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,486,374 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,123,138,000 after purchasing an additional 11,368,549 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 188.1% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,199,907,000 after buying an additional 7,614,172 shares during the period. Amundi boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 20.5% in the third quarter. Amundi now owns 23,497,921 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,413,236,000 after buying an additional 4,004,277 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.9% in 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on WMT shares. Bank of America initiated coverage on Walmart in a report on Friday, February 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $150.00 target price on the stock. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $138.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and issued a $147.00 target price (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $150.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. One 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $135.76.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total value of $1,214,600.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 108,294 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,153,389.24. This represents a 8.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total transaction of $4,158,004.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 533,466 shares in the company, valued at $65,082,852. The trade was a 6.01% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 265,153 shares of company stock worth $32,465,924. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart won U.S. patents for two machine‑learning systems to inform item pricing — a potential margin and competitive improvement if deployed at scale for dynamic pricing and promotions. Walmart Secures Machine Learning Patents for Pricing Items
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart Marketplace expands capabilities via a verified Doba integration, speeding onboarding and automated dropshipping for sellers — supports marketplace assortment and low‑capital inventory expansion. Doba Announces Verified Technical Integration with Walmart Marketplace to Empower Dropshipping Sellers
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/media pieces highlight Walmart’s faster‑growing e‑commerce and advertising businesses and its AI initiatives — reinforcing the view of higher‑margin revenue streams beyond physical retail. 1 Stock I Plan to Load Up On in 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary notes Walmart as a recession‑resilient consumer staple, which supports defensive demand for shares in macro uncertainty — a structural positive but not an immediate catalyst. Predictions Markets Are Pointing to a Potential Recession. 3 Stocks to Buy.
• Negative Sentiment: A shareholder law firm launched an investigation into Walmart’s board over alleged deceptive pay practices for Spark drivers — raises governance, litigation and reputational risk that can pressure the stock until resolved. Berger Montague PC Investigates Walmart Inc.’s Board of Directors for Breach of Fiduciary Duty (NASDAQ: WMT)
• Negative Sentiment: Amazon rolled out 1‑hour and 3‑hour shipping in major U.S. markets — intensifying delivery competition and potentially pressuring Walmart’s value proposition and margins on rapid fulfillment. Amazon launches 1-hour shipping in US cities to challenge Walmart
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart‑backed PhonePe paused IPO plans amid Middle East market volatility — delays potential monetization/valuation realization and is a reminder external market conditions can affect Walmart’s non‑core asset strategies. Walmart-backed PhonePe pauses IPO plans as Middle East conflict fuels market volatility
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts warn WMT’s valuation looks rich given the premium multiple assigned for e‑commerce and advertising growth — valuation concerns can amplify downside on disappointing news. Walmart’s Valuation Looks Rich: Should You Stay Invested in the Stock?

Walmart Price Performance

WMT stock opened at $121.98 on Thursday. 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. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $123.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $112.53. The company has a market capitalization of $972.47 billion, a PE ratio of 44.52, a P/E/G ratio of 4.66 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The company had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $188.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.66 EPS. The business’s 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. 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a $0.2475 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Walmart’s payout ratio is presently 34.31%.

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.