Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC Acquires 710,858 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 49.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,139,647 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 710,858 shares during the quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $241,267,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 188.1% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,199,907,000 after purchasing an additional 7,614,172 shares in the last quarter. Amundi boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 20.5% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 23,497,921 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,413,236,000 after purchasing an additional 4,004,277 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position 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 buying an additional 3,835,200 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the third quarter valued at about $294,621,000. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP bought a new position in Walmart in the second quarter worth about $273,784,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm’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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 591,084 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,308,944.40. This trade represents a 2.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was 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 directly owned 506,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $61,962,034.28. This trade represents a 3.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 274,278 shares of company stock worth $33,825,793 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $124.25 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The stock has a market cap of $990.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.35, a P/E/G ratio of 4.60 and a beta of 0.66. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $124.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $113.97. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $79.81 and a 52 week high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted 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 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 for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company 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. Equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.2475 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.13%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $145.00 target price (up from $128.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Mizuho raised their target price on Walmart from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $120.00 price target on Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Craig Hallum set a $150.00 price target on Walmart in a research note on Friday, March 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $135.76.

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.