Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Lowers Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC lowered its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 2.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 630,477 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 16,547 shares during the quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $64,977,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 1.0% during the third quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 9,926 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,023,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. Atlas Legacy Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Atlas Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 8,707 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $851,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,804 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $470,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management raised its position in shares of Walmart by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 5,695 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $586,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the period. Finally, Boomfish Wealth Group LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Boomfish Wealth Group LLC now owns 3,701 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $381,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company fundamentals: Walmart’s recent quarter showed solid top‑line momentum and continued e‑commerce strength, supporting the long‑term retail story and giving investors reason to buy on weakness. Walmart vs. Target: Which Stock Is a Better Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: Potential upside from PhonePe: Reports that PhonePe (Walmart‑backed) is targeting a $9–10.5B IPO valuation could boost perceived value of Walmart’s international/fintech exposure. Exclusive: Walmart-backed PhonePe targets up to $10.5 billion valuation in India IPO, sources say
• Positive Sentiment: Store investment & partner recognition: Walmart opened a next‑generation Supercenter and suppliers (e.g., Scosche) are being recognized for strong partnership — signals that in‑store and supplier execution continue. Walmart Opens Next Generation Supercenter in The Villages, Highlights Florida‑Grown Products
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Multiple firms maintain buy/overweight ratings and elevated price targets (median targets above current levels), giving a cushion for longer‑term holders. Tickerreport: Analyst updates
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor briefing material: Walmart’s Morgan Stanley TMT presentation transcript is out — useful for parsing tech/AI and fulfillment plans but contains no single market‑moving surprise. Walmart Inc. (WMT) Presents at Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference 2026 Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Cautious guidance & regulatory settlement: Market reaction appears driven by a conservative forward outlook and renewed attention on a roughly $100M settlement tied to the Spark Driver delivery program — raises concerns about compliance costs and friction in the e‑commerce/delivery narrative. Walmart slides as cautious outlook and regulatory settlement weigh on sentiment
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling disclosed: EVP John Rainey sold 20,000 shares (SEC filing), a modest signal that some insiders are trimming, which can amplify near‑term weakness even if economically immaterial. SEC Form 4 disclosure — John D. Rainey sale
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/trade risk: Analysis flags tariff and import exposure as a tangible margin risk given Walmart’s import footprint — a policy shock could hit costs and weigh on margins. Walmart: Navigating A Bumpy Tariff Environment
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive flow: Renewed enthusiasm for Target’s turnaround could pull discretionary retail allocations away from Walmart, pressuring relative performance. Target’s 2026 Turnaround: Analysts Bullish as Growth Returns

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total value of $2,555,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 486,764 shares in the company, valued at $62,203,571.56. The trade was a 3.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.10, for a total transaction of $1,694,437.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 591,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $76,308,944.40. The trade was a 2.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 279,703 shares of company stock worth $34,140,843 over the last three months. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on WMT shares. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 price target (up from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $138.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 target price (up from $115.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, November 21st. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 price target (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $134.42.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $123.31 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $982.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.00, a PEG ratio of 4.76 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.79. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $79.81 and a one year high of $134.69. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $121.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $110.77.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.Walmart’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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 dividend of $0.2475 per share. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.13%.

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.