Retirement Systems of Alabama Sells 134,403 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Retirement Systems of Alabama reduced its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 7.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,757,950 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 134,403 shares during the period. Walmart comprises 0.6% of Retirement Systems of Alabama’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in Walmart were worth $195,853,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 28.8% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,868,000 after purchasing an additional 21,939 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $800,000 after purchasing an additional 485 shares during the period. Peterson Wealth Management raised its position in Walmart by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. Peterson Wealth Management now owns 50,307 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,416,000 after purchasing an additional 1,715 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Walmart by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 13,008 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,272,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 91,341 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,931,000 after buying an additional 1,048 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.16, for a total transaction of $2,391,274.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,213,406 shares in the company, valued at approximately $518,923,082.96. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total value of $1,214,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 108,294 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,153,389.24. This represents a 8.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 274,278 shares of company stock valued at $33,825,793 over the last three months. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Trading Up 0.6%

NASDAQ WMT opened at $124.25 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $990.58 billion, a PE ratio of 45.35, a P/E/G ratio of 4.60 and a beta of 0.66. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $124.54 and its 200 day moving average is $113.97. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $79.81 and a twelve month high of $134.69. 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 (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The business had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.66 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly 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. Research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Investors 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 yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on WMT. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $145.00 target price (up from $128.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Wall Street Zen lowered Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, January 18th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $135.76.

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.