Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Purchased by Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT

Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT grew its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 28.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 511,163 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 113,090 shares during the period. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT’s holdings in Walmart were worth $52,680,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.9% during the third 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 during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Walmart by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 94,557,532 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $9,199,712,000 after buying an additional 263,718 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Walmart during the 2nd quarter valued at about $5,367,770,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of Walmart by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 31,973,329 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,126,775,000 after buying an additional 1,098,342 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 23.5% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 19,493,644 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,902,775,000 after acquiring an additional 3,710,506 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.10, for a total value of $1,694,437.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 591,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $76,308,944.40. This represents a 2.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Donna Morris sold 76,181 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.79, for a total value of $9,430,445.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 402,072 shares in the company, valued at $49,772,492.88. This represents a 15.93% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 261,903 shares of company stock worth $31,496,959. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Trading Up 0.7%

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $126.75 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $119.77 and a 200 day simple moving average of $109.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.01 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.02 and a beta of 0.65. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $79.81 and a 1-year high of $134.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The company had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.66 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast 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 given a dividend of $0.2475 per share. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s payout ratio is presently 34.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on WMT shares. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 price objective (up from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Walmart from $110.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $120.00 price objective on Walmart in a research note on Friday. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $150.00 target price on Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 price target (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.21.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company fundamentals and capital returns — Walmart reported an earnings and revenue beat, raised the quarterly dividend, and authorized a new ~$30B share repurchase program, supporting EPS upside and shareholder return expectations. Assessing Walmart’s Valuation After Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: U.S. segment momentum — Walmart U.S. delivered ~4.6% comp growth driven by grocery traffic and e‑commerce strength, a key driver cited for sustaining FY27 outlook. WMT’s U.S. Segment Momentum
• Positive Sentiment: Market share gain / resilient demand — dunnhumby data shows U.S. household penetration near ~72%, indicating Walmart is capturing share versus traditional grocers amid affordability pressures. Walmart, Dollar Stores Beat Traditional Grocers’ Reach
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support — several firms (Telsey, BTIG, Wells Fargo, Oppenheimer and others) have reiterated or raised ratings/targets, lifting consensus sentiment and price-target-driven demand. Telsey Advisory Sees Walmart Strengthening Position
• Neutral Sentiment: Peer/comparison analysis — pieces comparing Walmart to other retail plays (Dollar General, traditional grocers) highlight valuation and model differences; useful for allocation decisions but not a single catalyst. Walmart or Dollar General: Which Is the Better Retail Play?
• Neutral Sentiment: Street commentary — bank notes and analyst writeups (Erste Group, others) provide context on FY outlook and margins but largely echo existing consensus rather than shifting it. Erste Group Bank Comments on Walmart FY2028 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — multiple senior executives, including the CEO and EVPs, disclosed sizable share sales this week; such filings can create short‑term sentiment pressure even if sales are for diversification or tax reasons. Latriece Watkins Sells 10,000 Shares
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/headline risk — Walmart highlighted a “hiring recession” context and broader consumer fragility in commentary, which could temper discretionary spending and complicate margin leverage if labor and demand trends weaken. Walmart Warns of “Hiring Recession”

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.