DNB Asset Management AS Decreases Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

DNB Asset Management AS reduced its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 9.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,739,021 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 182,507 shares during the period. Walmart makes up approximately 0.7% of DNB Asset Management AS’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. DNB Asset Management AS’s holdings in Walmart were worth $179,224,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on WMT shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $120.00 price target on Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 target price (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, January 18th. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 target price (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $133.67.

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock opened at $124.42 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $120.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $109.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $991.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.41, a PEG ratio of 5.07 and a beta of 0.65. 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.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.66 earnings per share. The business’s 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. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Donna Morris sold 76,181 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.79, for a total transaction of $9,430,445.99. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 402,072 shares in the company, valued at $49,772,492.88. This represents a 15.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total transaction 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 trade represents a 8.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 242,487 shares of company stock valued at $29,369,548. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Walmart

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.