Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management Cuts Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management cut its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 23.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 173,644 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 53,301 shares during the period. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management’s holdings in Walmart were worth $17,896,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in Walmart in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Access Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Roble Belko & Company Inc grew its position in Walmart by 212.6% during the 3rd quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 322 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management highlights AI/automation and faster e‑commerce growth, which should support margin and productivity improvements over time. The future of retail is AI
• Positive Sentiment: Several brokers raised price targets or reaffirmed buy/outperform calls (Telsey, BTIG, Truist), which provides near‑term support and buyer interest. Telsey raises target
• Positive Sentiment: Board boosted shareholder returns — annual dividend raised to $0.99 and the company has been authorizing buybacks, which underpins cash‑return support. Dividend increase press release
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional activity shows accumulation in recent quarters and some technical analysts view the current pullback as a buying opportunity around $120–$110. That can stabilize downside but may not trigger an immediate rally. MarketBeat buy thesis
• Neutral Sentiment: An EVP sold a small block (1,255 shares) disclosed on a Form 4 — immaterial relative to his total holdings and likely routine liquidity. SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance disappointed — FY‑2027 EPS and Q1 guidance came in below consensus and management used cautious language; this guidance miss is the primary driver of today’s selloff. Q4 press release / slides
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns and bearish commentary argue that expected operating‑income gains don’t fully justify high multiples, prompting some investors to trim positions. Seeking Alpha valuation critique
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive narrative: Amazon now surpasses Walmart in annual revenue — symbolic but it focuses investor attention on competitive pressure and growth strategy execution. Amazon surpasses Walmart
• Negative Sentiment: Limited analyst downgrades (HSBC cut to Hold) add to selling pressure from cautious funds. WMT Downgrade video

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.99, for a total value of $1,574,868.75. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 727,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $87,251,328.45. This trade represents a 1.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owned 4,315,333 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $482,583,689.39. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 211,696 shares of company stock valued at $25,176,467 in the last ninety days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on WMT. HSBC cut shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $122.00 to $131.00 in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Walmart from $127.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. DA Davidson set a $150.00 price objective on Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $138.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $132.53.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT opened at $122.99 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $119.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $109.26. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $79.81 and a 1 year high of $134.69. The stock has a market cap of $980.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.89, a P/E/G ratio of 5.07 and a beta of 0.65. 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 for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $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. Equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 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 32.87%.

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.