Banque Pictet & Cie SA Purchases 31,836 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Banque Pictet & Cie SA lifted its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 92.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 66,147 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 31,836 shares during the quarter. Banque Pictet & Cie SA’s holdings in Walmart were worth $7,369,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 435,652,710 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $44,898,368,000 after buying an additional 3,835,200 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $19,046,104,000 after buying an additional 2,242,364 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,298,623 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,153,176,000 after buying an additional 634,211 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 31,973,329 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,126,775,000 after acquiring an additional 1,098,342 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 27,268,463 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,810,288,000 after acquiring an additional 934,468 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $125.79 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The company has a market capitalization of $1.00 trillion, a P/E ratio of 45.91, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 0.66. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $124.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $114.13. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $79.81 and a one year high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The company’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $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. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Walmart’s payout ratio is 36.13%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. CICC Research assumed coverage on Walmart in a research report on Friday, December 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $125.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Walmart from $127.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 target price on Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $134.00 price target (up from $129.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. One investment 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $135.76.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmex (Walmart de México y Centroamérica), Walmart’s largest international unit, announced a $2.5 billion investment for 2026 to expand stores and operations in Mexico — a near-term growth catalyst for international revenue and an earnings diversification driver. Walmart (WMT) Unit Walmex Plans $2.5B Investment in Mexico
• Positive Sentiment: Commentators are flagging Walmart as a defensive holding that performs well in stagflation or weak-consumer scenarios because it sells essential goods across income cycles, supporting demand for the stock in risk-off moves. Stagflation Fears Are Back
• Positive Sentiment: Other retail-focused analysis highlights Walmart among retailers structurally positioned to withstand tariffs and inflation pressures, reinforcing the defensive narrative for long-term investors. 3 Retail Stocks Built to Survive Tariffs, Inflation, and the Next 30 Years
• Positive Sentiment: TV commentator Jim Cramer expressed a bullish near-term take on Walmart’s price action, which can attract momentum-driven flows and retail buying. Jim Cramer on Walmart
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/sector research notes defensive sectors (consumer staples/retail staples) are outperforming as recession odds rise, which benefits Walmart but is a broader market theme rather than a company-specific trigger. As Recession Odds Climb, Defensive Sectors Continue to Outperform (WMT)
• Neutral Sentiment: Profiles noting the Walton family’s rising net worth and billionaire rankings are headline-grabbing but have limited direct impact on operations or near-term stock fundamentals. Tech Titans Dominate Billionaires List. Walmart Heirs Join the Elite.
• Negative Sentiment: Some outlets lay out reasons to sell WMT (valuation, margin pressure, or better opportunities elsewhere), which can weigh on sentiment among more cautious investors. 3 reasons to sell WMT and 1 stock to buy instead
• Negative Sentiment: Analysis suggesting Walmart’s “recession signal” is flashing red raises macro concerns: stronger demand for Walmart can indicate broader consumer stress and a deteriorating economic environment, which is a mixed/negative macro signal for markets. The Walmart (WMT) Recession Signal Is Flashing Red

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total transaction of $2,555,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 486,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,203,571.56. This trade represents a 3.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.96, for a total value of $1,600,725.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 687,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $83,821,522.52. The trade was a 1.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 274,278 shares of company stock worth $33,825,793 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.