Bright Futures Wealth Management LLC. Takes $1.49 Million Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Bright Futures Wealth Management LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm acquired 14,429 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,487,000. Walmart comprises approximately 1.2% of Bright Futures Wealth Management LLC.’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the second quarter worth $5,367,770,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 9,648.7% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,486,374 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,123,138,000 after buying an additional 11,368,549 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Walmart by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 431,817,510 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $42,223,116,000 after buying an additional 5,856,468 shares in the last quarter. Amundi increased its position in Walmart by 23.5% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 19,493,644 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,902,775,000 after buying an additional 3,710,506 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AGF Management Ltd. raised its stake in Walmart by 1,176.6% in the second quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 3,317,487 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $324,384,000 after buying an additional 3,057,612 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT opened at $127.95 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $120.44 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $110.18. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $79.81 and a 52-week high of $134.69. The company has a market cap of $1.02 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.70, a PEG ratio of 5.03 and a beta of 0.66. 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 released its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 in the previous year, the company earned $0.66 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly 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. Equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 payout ratio is 34.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on WMT. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $134.00 price objective (up from $129.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Argus raised shares of Walmart to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 price target (up from $115.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, November 21st. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and set a $147.00 price objective (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $134.42.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America initiated coverage with a “Buy” rating and a $150 price target, signaling materially higher analyst optimism versus the current share level (roughly +17% upside from the cited price).
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results showed a slight EPS beat (reported $0.74 vs. $0.73 est.) and revenue topped estimates; management issued FY2027 EPS guidance of $2.75–$2.85, supporting multiple expansion and investor confidence.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is rolling out its Scintilla In-Store data platform and expanding private/partner brands, moves that reinforce higher-margin adjacencies (ads, marketplace, fulfillment) and long-term e‑commerce/store integration growth. Walmart Supplier Tech And New Brands Reframe Stores As Data Platforms
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage consensus remains constructive — a “Moderate Buy” consensus was reported, reflecting institutional buy-side alignment but some variance in targets. Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart leadership will participate in upcoming investor events and webcasts — provides management access to investors for strategy updates and Q&A, which can influence near-term sentiment. Walmart Leadership to Participate in Upcoming Investor Events
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart agreed to settle FTC claims over Spark driver pay for roughly $100M total, including a $16M payout to drivers over alleged misleading pay/tip claims — a near-term cash hit and reputational/legal overhang, though not material to operating margins long-term at scale. Walmart agrees to $100M settlement over deceptive pay practices in Spark Driver program Walmart agrees to pay $16 million to its Spark delivery drivers to settle claims it misled them over tips and pay

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,255 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.21, for a total value of $167,178.55. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 586,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $78,104,886.09. This represents a 0.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.71, for a total value of $2,460,201.36. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,023,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $509,780,812.39. This represents a 0.48% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 259,703 shares of company stock worth $31,585,043 in the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by 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.