Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Sold by Aptus Capital Advisors LLC

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC reduced its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 630,477 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 16,547 shares during the quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $64,977,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Fox Run Management L.L.C. acquired a new stake in Walmart during the third quarter worth about $1,709,000. CWM LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 24.2% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,175,703 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $121,168,000 after purchasing an additional 229,220 shares during the last quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 5,091,126 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $497,771,000 after purchasing an additional 42,645 shares during the period. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. raised its position in shares of Walmart by 16.6% during the 3rd quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 63,782 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $6,567,000 after purchasing an additional 9,061 shares during the period. Finally, Aviva PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 16.4% in the 2nd quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 3,833,720 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $374,861,000 after purchasing an additional 539,504 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.71, for a total transaction of $2,460,201.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,023,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $509,780,812.39. This trade represents a 0.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.10, for a total value of $1,694,437.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 591,084 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,308,944.40. The trade was a 2.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 279,703 shares of company stock valued at $34,140,843. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on WMT. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Walmart from $127.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Walmart from $110.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 target price (up from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $134.42.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company fundamentals: Walmart’s recent quarter showed solid top‑line momentum and continued e‑commerce strength, supporting the long‑term retail story and giving investors reason to buy on weakness. Walmart vs. Target: Which Stock Is a Better Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: Potential upside from PhonePe: Reports that PhonePe (Walmart‑backed) is targeting a $9–10.5B IPO valuation could boost perceived value of Walmart’s international/fintech exposure. Exclusive: Walmart-backed PhonePe targets up to $10.5 billion valuation in India IPO, sources say
• Positive Sentiment: Store investment & partner recognition: Walmart opened a next‑generation Supercenter and suppliers (e.g., Scosche) are being recognized for strong partnership — signals that in‑store and supplier execution continue. Walmart Opens Next Generation Supercenter in The Villages, Highlights Florida‑Grown Products
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Multiple firms maintain buy/overweight ratings and elevated price targets (median targets above current levels), giving a cushion for longer‑term holders. Tickerreport: Analyst updates
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor briefing material: Walmart’s Morgan Stanley TMT presentation transcript is out — useful for parsing tech/AI and fulfillment plans but contains no single market‑moving surprise. Walmart Inc. (WMT) Presents at Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference 2026 Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Cautious guidance & regulatory settlement: Market reaction appears driven by a conservative forward outlook and renewed attention on a roughly $100M settlement tied to the Spark Driver delivery program — raises concerns about compliance costs and friction in the e‑commerce/delivery narrative. Walmart slides as cautious outlook and regulatory settlement weigh on sentiment
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling disclosed: EVP John Rainey sold 20,000 shares (SEC filing), a modest signal that some insiders are trimming, which can amplify near‑term weakness even if economically immaterial. SEC Form 4 disclosure — John D. Rainey sale
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/trade risk: Analysis flags tariff and import exposure as a tangible margin risk given Walmart’s import footprint — a policy shock could hit costs and weigh on margins. Walmart: Navigating A Bumpy Tariff Environment
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive flow: Renewed enthusiasm for Target’s turnaround could pull discretionary retail allocations away from Walmart, pressuring relative performance. Target’s 2026 Turnaround: Analysts Bullish as Growth Returns

Walmart Trading Down 3.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $123.31 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $121.63 and a 200-day moving average of $110.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm has a market cap of $982.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.00, a P/E/G ratio of 4.76 and a beta of 0.66. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $79.81 and a twelve month high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.66 earnings per share. 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, analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders 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 of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s payout ratio 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.