Dakota Wealth Management Raises Stock Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Dakota Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 17.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 106,321 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,125 shares during the period. Dakota Wealth Management’s holdings in Walmart were worth $11,845,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Walmart by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 435,652,710 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $44,898,368,000 after purchasing an additional 3,835,200 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $19,046,104,000 after buying an additional 2,242,364 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Walmart during the 2nd quarter worth $5,367,770,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Walmart by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,298,623 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,153,176,000 after buying an additional 634,211 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.6% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 31,973,329 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,126,775,000 after buying an additional 1,098,342 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlight Walmart’s accelerating digital initiatives (AI tools, ads, memberships) and a disciplined buyback program that can lift margins and justify a higher multiple — a primary driver of investor optimism. Assessing Walmart (WMT) Valuation As Digital Growth AI Tools And Buybacks Reshape The Business
• Positive Sentiment: Comparisons to peers (Costco) emphasize Walmart’s omnichannel scale, growing ad business and membership-like initiatives as margin levers — reinforcing the narrative that Walmart can sustain steady, profitable growth vs. competitors. Walmart or Costco: Who’s Winning the Modern Retail Game Right Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader retail comparisons (Amazon, Target) and sector commentary keep Walmart in investors’ crosshairs as a defensive, cash-generative retail leader; these pieces frame relative valuation and strategic positioning but don’t contain immediate catalysts. Amazon vs Walmart: Which is a Better Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage noting executive comments about AI and leadership transitions (including past remarks by former CEO Doug McMillon) underscores management focus on AI but is more background than an immediate stock mover. Major outgoing CEOs are citing AI as a factor in their decisions to step down
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory headwinds: Washington state fined Walmart >$380k for selling motor vehicle A/C cans with banned hydrofluorocarbons. The penalty is modest financially but raises scrutiny of compliance and ESG risks, which can affect reputation and investor sentiment. Walmart Fine Raises Questions On Climate Compliance And Investment Risks
• Negative Sentiment: Governance/legal risk: A shareholder law firm is investigating Walmart’s board over alleged oversight failures tied to Spark driver pay practices, which could lead to litigation, reputational harm or regulatory scrutiny if claims advance. Berger Montague PC Investigates Walmart Inc.’s Board of Directors for Breach of Fiduciary Duty (NASDAQ: WMT)

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $122.89 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $124.35 and its 200 day moving average is $113.51. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $79.81 and a 1-year 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. The company has a market cap of $979.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.85, a PEG ratio of 4.55 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS 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 the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $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. Research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Investors of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $0.2475 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.13%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total transaction of $1,214,600.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 108,294 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,153,389.24. This represents a 8.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.16, for a total value of $2,391,274.56. Following the sale, the director owned 4,213,406 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $518,923,082.96. This represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 274,278 shares of company stock valued at $33,825,793 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Walmart from $127.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $147.00 target price (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Tigress Financial set a $150.00 target price on shares of Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wells Fargo & Company restated 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, KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $145.00 price target (up from $128.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 13th. 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 data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $135.76.

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.