DAVENPORT & Co LLC Purchases 8,195 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

DAVENPORT & Co LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 2.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 411,031 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,195 shares during the quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $45,793,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Collier Financial purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc increased its stake in Walmart by 212.6% in the 3rd quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 322 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Walmart during the third quarter valued at about $39,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $120.00 price objective on Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $125.00 target price (up from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Bank of America assumed coverage on Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $150.00 price target for the company. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price objective (up from $136.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $147.00 price objective (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $135.76.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.27, for a total transaction of $2,445,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 506,764 shares in the company, valued at $61,962,034.28. This trade represents a 3.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Friday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.83, for a total transaction of $2,171,291.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,315,333 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $482,583,689.39. The trade was a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 274,278 shares of company stock valued at $33,605,809 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of WMT stock opened at $123.06 on Thursday. 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 $981.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.55 and a beta of 0.66. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $79.81 and a 12-month high of $134.69. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $124.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $113.31.

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

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies and media coverage are positioning Walmart as an AI frontrunner in retail — investors see this as evidence Walmart can improve margins, personalize merchandising and speed operations, supporting the stock’s move higher. Walmart Emerging As Frontrunner — Article
• Positive Sentiment: Analysis highlighting Walmart’s rapid e‑commerce transformation (a “$100B online” narrative) signals continued top-line growth and higher-margin sales mix over time — a key bullish thesis for investors. Walmart’s Second Act — Article
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer reiterated Walmart’s defensive appeal if consumers retrench (e.g., oil-price driven slowdown), reinforcing its role as a defensive retail holding that can outperform in slower economies. Cramer on Walmart — Article
• Positive Sentiment: Product and assortment moves — e.g., a partnership to sell The Farmer’s Dog human‑grade pet meals in stores and online — support higher-margin category expansion and help attract premium shoppers. Walmart Taps The Farmer’s Dog — Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical/strategic notes (Dow Jones/MarketBeat pieces) point to a “buy point” amid market weakness, which may encourage technical buying but doesn’t change fundamentals. Dow Jones Buy Point — Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry logistics news (FedEx adding same‑day options) is a mixed read — it increases delivery options for consumers but also intensifies last‑mile competition that Walmart must manage. FedEx Same-Day Delivery — Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short‑interest data appears inconsistent (zero shares reported) and offers no clear signal to traders at present.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst pushback and a Seeking Alpha piece argue mounting headwinds and a stretched valuation warrant caution — reminders that WMT’s premium multiple (high P/E) leaves limited room for execution misses. Seeking Alpha Downgrade — Article
• Negative Sentiment: Shareholder law firm Berger Montague opened an investigation into the board over alleged deceptive pay practices for Spark drivers — this governance/legal probe could be a reputational and potential financial overhang if it escalates. Berger Montague Investigation — Article

Walmart 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.