Weatherly Asset Management L. P. Has $7.28 Million Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Weatherly Asset Management L. P. increased its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 11.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 65,337 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,707 shares during the period. Weatherly Asset Management L. P.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $7,279,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Collier Financial bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new stake in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new position in Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Roble Belko & Company Inc raised 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 valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmex (Walmart de México y Centroamérica), Walmart’s largest international unit, announced a $2.5 billion investment for 2026 to expand stores and operations in Mexico — a near-term growth catalyst for international revenue and an earnings diversification driver. Walmart (WMT) Unit Walmex Plans $2.5B Investment in Mexico
• Positive Sentiment: Commentators are flagging Walmart as a defensive holding that performs well in stagflation or weak-consumer scenarios because it sells essential goods across income cycles, supporting demand for the stock in risk-off moves. Stagflation Fears Are Back
• Positive Sentiment: Other retail-focused analysis highlights Walmart among retailers structurally positioned to withstand tariffs and inflation pressures, reinforcing the defensive narrative for long-term investors. 3 Retail Stocks Built to Survive Tariffs, Inflation, and the Next 30 Years
• Positive Sentiment: TV commentator Jim Cramer expressed a bullish near-term take on Walmart’s price action, which can attract momentum-driven flows and retail buying. Jim Cramer on Walmart
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/sector research notes defensive sectors (consumer staples/retail staples) are outperforming as recession odds rise, which benefits Walmart but is a broader market theme rather than a company-specific trigger. As Recession Odds Climb, Defensive Sectors Continue to Outperform (WMT)
• Neutral Sentiment: Profiles noting the Walton family’s rising net worth and billionaire rankings are headline-grabbing but have limited direct impact on operations or near-term stock fundamentals. Tech Titans Dominate Billionaires List. Walmart Heirs Join the Elite.
• Negative Sentiment: Some outlets lay out reasons to sell WMT (valuation, margin pressure, or better opportunities elsewhere), which can weigh on sentiment among more cautious investors. 3 reasons to sell WMT and 1 stock to buy instead
• Negative Sentiment: Analysis suggesting Walmart’s “recession signal” is flashing red raises macro concerns: stronger demand for Walmart can indicate broader consumer stress and a deteriorating economic environment, which is a mixed/negative macro signal for markets. The Walmart (WMT) Recession Signal Is Flashing Red

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the topic of several recent research reports. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. CICC Research initiated coverage on Walmart in a report on Friday, December 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $125.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $138.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $145.00 price target on Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $120.00 price target on Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $135.76.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total value 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.17, for a total transaction of $2,313,804.72. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,274,856 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $509,434,589.52. The trade was a 0.45% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 274,278 shares of company stock valued at $33,825,793. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walmart Trading Up 0.8%

Walmart stock opened at $125.79 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $124.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $114.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.00 trillion, a P/E ratio of 45.91, a PEG ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 0.66. 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 52 week low of $79.81 and a 52 week high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.66 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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. Analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

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.