Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Purchased by AIA Group Ltd

AIA Group Ltd raised its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 64.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 111,503 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 43,767 shares during the quarter. AIA Group Ltd’s holdings in Walmart were worth $11,491,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Collier Financial purchased a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP acquired a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 212.6% in the 3rd quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 322 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares during the period. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on WMT. Guggenheim reiterated 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 restated a “buy” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Craig Hallum set a $150.00 target price on Walmart in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Bank of America started coverage on Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $150.00 target price for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Walmart from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $135.76.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 591,084 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,308,944.40. This represents a 2.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total transaction of $2,555,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 486,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $62,203,571.56. This trade represents a 3.95% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 261,153 shares of company stock worth $32,005,084 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $121.08 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $123.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $112.59. The company has a market capitalization of $965.30 billion, a PE ratio of 44.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 0.66. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $79.81 and a 12-month high of $134.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.24.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The company’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company 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. Equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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 dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.31%.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unusual bullish options activity — traders bought ~169,565 WMT call contracts (≈+42% vs. typical daily call volume), signaling short‑term bullish bets that can support upside if sentiment continues.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is being highlighted as an AI investment play—articles argue AI deployments across supply chain and pricing could raise efficiency and long‑term profitability. Forget Chipmakers: Walmart and Target Are the Real AI Plays
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart secured U.S. machine‑learning patents for pricing systems — a potential competitive edge to optimize margins and pricing strategies. Walmart Secures Machine Learning Patents for Pricing Items
• Positive Sentiment: Marketplace/Dropshipping integration with Doba expands Walmart Marketplace’s seller capabilities and could aid e‑commerce revenue growth. Doba Announces Verified Technical Integration with Walmart Marketplace to Empower Dropshipping Sellers
• Positive Sentiment: Positive analyst/retail commentary — some investors are bullish on Walmart’s expanding e‑commerce and advertising businesses as drivers of future growth. 1 Stock I Plan to Load Up On in 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO transition coverage — analysis of managing leadership change notes both downside risk and opportunity; impact depends on specifics and investor reaction over time. How to Play 3 Major CEO Transitions in Early 2026 (WMT)
• Neutral Sentiment: PhonePe IPO pause — Walmart‑backed PhonePe delaying IPO due to market volatility is a timing risk for potential value realization, but not an immediate operational hit to Walmart. Walmart-backed PhonePe pauses IPO plans as Middle East conflict fuels market volatility
• Negative Sentiment: Shareholder law firm is investigating Walmart’s board over alleged deceptive pay practices for Spark drivers — potential legal, financial and governance risks that can weigh on sentiment and create downside risk. Berger Montague PC Investigates Walmart Inc.’s Board of Directors for Breach of Fiduciary Duty (NASDAQ: WMT)

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.