DAVENPORT & Co LLC Raises Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

DAVENPORT & Co LLC grew its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 411,031 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,195 shares during the period. DAVENPORT & Co LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $45,793,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 28.8% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,868,000 after buying an additional 21,939 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in Walmart by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $800,000 after acquiring an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.5% in the first quarter. Peterson Wealth Management now owns 50,307 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,416,000 after acquiring an additional 1,715 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.9% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 13,008 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,272,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the period. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 91,341 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,931,000 after acquiring an additional 1,048 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Donna Morris sold 76,181 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.79, for a total value of $9,430,445.99. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 402,072 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,772,492.88. This represents a 15.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,315,333 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $482,583,689.39. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 274,278 shares of company stock valued at $33,605,809 over the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies and media coverage are positioning Walmart as an AI frontrunner in retail — investors see this as evidence Walmart can improve margins, personalize merchandising and speed operations, supporting the stock’s move higher. Walmart Emerging As Frontrunner — Article
• Positive Sentiment: Analysis highlighting Walmart’s rapid e‑commerce transformation (a “$100B online” narrative) signals continued top-line growth and higher-margin sales mix over time — a key bullish thesis for investors. Walmart’s Second Act — Article
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer reiterated Walmart’s defensive appeal if consumers retrench (e.g., oil-price driven slowdown), reinforcing its role as a defensive retail holding that can outperform in slower economies. Cramer on Walmart — Article
• Positive Sentiment: Product and assortment moves — e.g., a partnership to sell The Farmer’s Dog human‑grade pet meals in stores and online — support higher-margin category expansion and help attract premium shoppers. Walmart Taps The Farmer’s Dog — Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical/strategic notes (Dow Jones/MarketBeat pieces) point to a “buy point” amid market weakness, which may encourage technical buying but doesn’t change fundamentals. Dow Jones Buy Point — Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry logistics news (FedEx adding same‑day options) is a mixed read — it increases delivery options for consumers but also intensifies last‑mile competition that Walmart must manage. FedEx Same-Day Delivery — Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short‑interest data appears inconsistent (zero shares reported) and offers no clear signal to traders at present.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst pushback and a Seeking Alpha piece argue mounting headwinds and a stretched valuation warrant caution — reminders that WMT’s premium multiple (high P/E) leaves limited room for execution misses. Seeking Alpha Downgrade — Article
• Negative Sentiment: Shareholder law firm Berger Montague opened an investigation into the board over alleged deceptive pay practices for Spark drivers — this governance/legal probe could be a reputational and potential financial overhang if it escalates. Berger Montague Investigation — Article

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $145.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, March 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $138.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 price target (up from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $135.76.

Walmart Trading Up 0.8%

WMT stock opened at $123.06 on Thursday. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $79.81 and a 12 month high of $134.69. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $124.23 and its 200 day moving average is $113.31. The company has a market capitalization of $981.08 billion, a PE ratio of 44.91, a P/E/G ratio of 4.55 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 (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. The company 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 firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company 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. On average, research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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