Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Sold by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. decreased its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 62.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 800,955 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 1,310,328 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $89,234,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in WMT. Collier Financial bought a new stake in Walmart during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter valued at $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 212.6% during 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. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. Wall Street Zen cut Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, January 18th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $140.00 target price (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, February 9th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $145.00 price target (up from $128.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price objective (up from $136.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. One research 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 data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $135.76.

Walmart News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s ad business surged ~37% in Q4, which boosts higher-margin revenue and could improve overall profitability going forward. Walmart’s Ad Business Jumps 37%: Margin Upside Ahead?
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results beat consensus (EPS and revenue) and management set FY2027 EPS guidance (2.75–2.85), supporting the view that Walmart’s core retail performance and membership/ads mix are improving.
• Positive Sentiment: New national product distribution deals (example: Zep cleaning products now carried nationwide at Walmart) show ongoing assortment and supplier momentum that can drive traffic and category share. Zep Expands Home Pro Distribution at Walmart
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical/market commentary is highlighting Walmart as a buy point amid broader market weakness — useful for momentum traders but less material to fundamentals. Dow Jones discount retailer Walmart offers latest buy point amid market weakness
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry logistics moves — FedEx launching same‑day options as retailers (including Walmart) race to speed up delivery — are an operational/competitive factor to watch but not an immediate earnings shock. FedEx launches same-day delivery with OneRail
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest reports in the feed show zero or data anomalies (0 shares / NaN increases) and a days-to-cover of 0.0 — not currently informative for sentiment.
• Negative Sentiment: A plaintiffs’ law firm is investigating Walmart’s board for possible breach of fiduciary duty related to alleged deceptive pay practices for Spark drivers — a governance/legal risk that could lead to litigation or reputational costs. Berger Montague PC Investigates Walmart Board for Breach of Fiduciary Duty
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: the CEO reported selling roughly $1.6M of WMT stock — a signal some investors watch closely even though sales can be routine. Walmart CEO Sells $1,600,725.00 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst commentary questioning Walmart’s “all-weather” defensive status suggests valuation and crowding risks for investors who expect steady downside protection; this is a cautionary view on medium-term upside. Walmart: All-Weather Status Ironically Creates Risk For Investors

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.83, for a total value of $2,171,291.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,315,333 shares in the company, valued at approximately $482,583,689.39. This represents a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.27, for a total transaction of $2,445,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 506,764 shares in the company, valued at $61,962,034.28. The trade was a 3.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 274,278 shares of company stock worth $33,605,809 over the last quarter. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Stock Up 1.1%

WMT opened at $122.05 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $973.03 billion, a PE ratio of 44.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.50 and a beta of 0.66. 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 Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $79.81 and a fifty-two week high of $134.69. The business has a 50-day moving average of $124.17 and a 200-day moving average of $113.24.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 analysts’ expectations of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.66 EPS. The firm’s quarterly 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. Equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.2475 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is 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.