Walmart Inc. $WMT is Covea Finance’s 8th Largest Position

Covea Finance boosted its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 589,380 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,400 shares during the period. Walmart comprises 2.2% of Covea Finance’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Covea Finance’s holdings in Walmart were worth $65,663,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP purchased a new position in Walmart in the third quarter valued at $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc raised its stake in Walmart by 212.6% in the third quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 322 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth about $39,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 price objective (up from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $120.00 price objective on Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Mizuho boosted their target price on Walmart from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 price target (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Walmart to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $135.76.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $119.02 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $124.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $112.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.79. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $79.81 and a 1 year high of $134.69. The firm has a market cap of $948.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.44, a PEG ratio of 4.43 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted 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. The business had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $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. Analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Growing AI narrative and modest analyst upside: coverage notes that Walmart’s AI investments (supply-chain, store ops) are reshaping its growth story and one valuation model nudged fair value slightly higher to ~$136, supporting longer-term upside. This bolsters bullish investor interest in WMT as a tech-enabled retailer. How Walmart (WMT) Is Rewriting Its Story With AI Hype And Valuation Questions
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/technical support for defensive retail: coverage from Barron’s highlights Walmart alongside other defensive retail names on both technical and fundamental grounds, which can attract risk-off flows and relative-strength buyers in uncertain markets. Walmart, Ross Stores, and Other ‘Defensive’ Retail Stocks
• Positive Sentiment: Market narrative that Walmart is an AI play: features arguing Walmart (and Target) are meaningful AI plays could lift investor conviction around margin improvement and efficiency gains over time. Forget Chipmakers: Walmart and Target Are the Real AI Plays
• Neutral Sentiment: Higher-than-usual call buying: intraday activity showed a ~42% increase in call option volume, which signals bullish positioning but could be speculative or short-term. Watch whether this leads to sustained buying or just short-term gamma flow.
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO transition focus: commentary on managing and positioning around CEO transitions notes both risk and opportunity — transitions can create volatility but also potential strategic shifts. Investors should watch messaging and execution from leadership. How to Play 3 Major CEO Transitions in Early 2026 (WMT)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling by CEO: CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares (~1.87% reduction in his position) in a disclosed SEC filing — insider sales can be interpreted negatively by some investors even if part of routine diversification. Insider Sale SEC Filing

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 10,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total transaction of $1,214,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 108,294 shares in the company, valued at $13,153,389.24. The trade was a 8.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 274,278 shares of company stock valued at $33,605,809. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Walmart Company 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.