Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd Takes Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor purchased 29,042 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $2,993,000. Walmart makes up approximately 1.5% of Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Access Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Walmart in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Roble Belko & Company Inc boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 212.6% during the 3rd quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 322 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 219 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart authorized a new $30 billion share‑repurchase program, recently completed a roughly $16.14 billion buyback and approved a $0.99 per‑share annual dividend — actions that return capital to shareholders and support the stock. How Investors May Respond To Walmart E‑commerce Strength And New US$30 Billion Buyback Plan
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts have been raising targets and ratings after Walmart’s quarter and strategy — TD Cowen lifted its target and Bernstein has become more constructive, which can support further inflows. TD Cowen Raises Walmart Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is expanding tech-driven store capabilities (Scintilla In‑Store) and rolling select private/partner brands nationwide — moves that bolster e‑commerce/omnichannel margins and advertising/marketplace growth. Walmart Supplier Tech And New Brands Reframe Stores As Data Platforms
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart management will participate in upcoming investor events with live webcasts — increases transparency and gives analysts a forum to ask questions, but is informational rather than catalytic. Walmart Leadership to Participate in Upcoming Investor Events
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart agreed to settle with the FTC over deceptive pay/tip representations in its Spark driver program — the headline figure reported is $100 million, and the company will also pay roughly $16 million directly to drivers as part of relief. This is a reputational/legal hit and a near‑term cash charge (though small versus Walmart’s scale). Walmart Agrees to $100 Million FTC Settlement Over Driver Pay Walmart agrees to pay $16 million to Spark drivers
• Negative Sentiment: An insider sale (John Furner sold 13,125 shares) and some post‑earnings pressure were reported — insider selling and short‑term volatility can add downward pressure on sentiment even if not indicative of long‑term fundamentals. John Furner Sells Shares

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $124.42 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 company has a market cap of $991.65 billion, a PE ratio of 45.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.07 and a beta of 0.65. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $120.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $109.91. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $79.81 and a fifty-two week high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The business had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.66 earnings per share. The firm’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 expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WMT. Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 price objective on Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Walmart from $110.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 price target (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and issued a $138.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, DA Davidson set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $133.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.27, for a total transaction of $2,445,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 506,764 shares in the company, valued at $61,962,034.28. The trade was a 3.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total transaction of $4,158,004.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 533,466 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,082,852. This trade represents a 6.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 242,487 shares of company stock valued at $29,369,548 in the last ninety days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.