Fox Run Management L.L.C. Makes New Investment in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Fox Run Management L.L.C. bought a new position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 16,580 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,709,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. GGM Financials LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the third quarter worth $145,000. Jag Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Walmart by 18.5% during the third quarter. Jag Capital Management LLC now owns 11,542 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,190,000 after buying an additional 1,802 shares during the period. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 28.4% during the 3rd quarter. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT now owns 511,163 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $52,680,000 after buying an additional 113,090 shares in the last quarter. Colonial Trust Advisors grew its position in shares of Walmart by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Colonial Trust Advisors now owns 179,671 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $18,517,000 after buying an additional 2,110 shares during the period. Finally, JFS Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 33,180 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,419,000 after buying an additional 1,458 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $120.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 price objective on Walmart in a research report on Friday. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $134.00 price objective (up from $129.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.21.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $126.75 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $1.01 trillion, a P/E ratio of 46.26, a PEG ratio of 5.02 and a beta of 0.65. 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. The company has a 50 day moving average of $119.77 and a 200 day moving average of $109.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued 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. The business had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The company’s revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.66 EPS. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Investors of record on Friday, December 11th will be issued a $0.2475 dividend. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.31%.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company fundamentals and capital returns — Walmart reported an earnings and revenue beat, raised the quarterly dividend, and authorized a new ~$30B share repurchase program, supporting EPS upside and shareholder return expectations. Assessing Walmart’s Valuation After Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: U.S. segment momentum — Walmart U.S. delivered ~4.6% comp growth driven by grocery traffic and e‑commerce strength, a key driver cited for sustaining FY27 outlook. WMT’s U.S. Segment Momentum
• Positive Sentiment: Market share gain / resilient demand — dunnhumby data shows U.S. household penetration near ~72%, indicating Walmart is capturing share versus traditional grocers amid affordability pressures. Walmart, Dollar Stores Beat Traditional Grocers’ Reach
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support — several firms (Telsey, BTIG, Wells Fargo, Oppenheimer and others) have reiterated or raised ratings/targets, lifting consensus sentiment and price-target-driven demand. Telsey Advisory Sees Walmart Strengthening Position
• Neutral Sentiment: Peer/comparison analysis — pieces comparing Walmart to other retail plays (Dollar General, traditional grocers) highlight valuation and model differences; useful for allocation decisions but not a single catalyst. Walmart or Dollar General: Which Is the Better Retail Play?
• Neutral Sentiment: Street commentary — bank notes and analyst writeups (Erste Group, others) provide context on FY outlook and margins but largely echo existing consensus rather than shifting it. Erste Group Bank Comments on Walmart FY2028 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — multiple senior executives, including the CEO and EVPs, disclosed sizable share sales this week; such filings can create short‑term sentiment pressure even if sales are for diversification or tax reasons. Latriece Watkins Sells 10,000 Shares
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/headline risk — Walmart highlighted a “hiring recession” context and broader consumer fragility in commentary, which could temper discretionary spending and complicate margin leverage if labor and demand trends weaken. Walmart Warns of “Hiring Recession”

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.83, for a total value of $2,171,291.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,315,333 shares in the company, valued at $482,583,689.39. The trade was a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.99, for a total transaction of $1,574,868.75. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 727,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $87,251,328.45. The trade was a 1.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 261,903 shares of company stock worth $31,496,959 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.