Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Bought by Bahl & Gaynor Inc.

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. raised its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 2.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 470,200 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,146 shares during the period. Bahl & Gaynor Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $48,459,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America initiated coverage with a “Buy” rating and a $150 price target, signaling materially higher analyst optimism versus the current share level (roughly +17% upside from the cited price).
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results showed a slight EPS beat (reported $0.74 vs. $0.73 est.) and revenue topped estimates; management issued FY2027 EPS guidance of $2.75–$2.85, supporting multiple expansion and investor confidence.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is rolling out its Scintilla In-Store data platform and expanding private/partner brands, moves that reinforce higher-margin adjacencies (ads, marketplace, fulfillment) and long-term e‑commerce/store integration growth. Walmart Supplier Tech And New Brands Reframe Stores As Data Platforms
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage consensus remains constructive — a “Moderate Buy” consensus was reported, reflecting institutional buy-side alignment but some variance in targets. Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart leadership will participate in upcoming investor events and webcasts — provides management access to investors for strategy updates and Q&A, which can influence near-term sentiment. Walmart Leadership to Participate in Upcoming Investor Events
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart agreed to settle FTC claims over Spark driver pay for roughly $100M total, including a $16M payout to drivers over alleged misleading pay/tip claims — a near-term cash hit and reputational/legal overhang, though not material to operating margins long-term at scale. Walmart agrees to $100M settlement over deceptive pay practices in Spark Driver program Walmart agrees to pay $16 million to its Spark delivery drivers to settle claims it misled them over tips and pay

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,255 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.21, for a total value of $167,178.55. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 586,329 shares in the company, valued at $78,104,886.09. This trade represents a 0.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $76,308,944.40. This represents a 2.17% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 259,703 shares of company stock worth $31,585,043. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $147.00 price objective (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Walmart from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 target price (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $147.00 target price (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $134.42.

Walmart Stock Up 2.8%

Walmart stock opened at $127.95 on Monday. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $79.81 and a twelve month high of $134.69. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $120.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $110.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.02 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.70, a PEG ratio of 5.03 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.66 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter 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. As a group, research analysts expect 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. The ex-dividend date 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 34.31%.

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.