Walmart Inc. $WMT Position Boosted by HBW Advisory Services LLC

HBW Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 136.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,137 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,421 shares during the period. HBW Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $1,241,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 435,652,710 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $44,898,368,000 after purchasing an additional 3,835,200 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $19,046,104,000 after purchasing an additional 2,242,364 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted 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 purchasing an additional 634,211 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 3.5% during 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 purchasing an additional 934,468 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 24,990,692 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,575,541,000 after purchasing an additional 93,459 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Guggenheim raised its price target to $137 and placed WMT at a “Buy,” giving the stock upward analyst momentum and signaling expectations for stronger upside. Walmart price target raised by Guggenheim
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart launched Upstream Facility Services to sell its maintenance and operations expertise to other businesses — a new revenue stream that leverages scale and could improve margins over time. Walmart introduces Upstream Facility Services
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart continues to push AI in retail: the Sparky assistant is driving ~35% higher spend per order and adoption by ~50% of app shoppers, a direct tailwind to digital sales and basket size. Walmart’s AI push gains steam
• Positive Sentiment: Pet Honesty expanded nationwide into nearly 13,000 Walmart stores, boosting assortment and in‑store traffic potential for consumables and private‑label adjacencies. Pet Honesty® Expands to Walmart Stores Nationwide
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart joined the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, strengthening sustainable sourcing credentials and reducing supply‑chain and reputational risk for apparel/textiles. Walmart Joins U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group upgraded WMT to Buy (cited by coverage articles), reflecting bullish analyst sentiment following solid Q4 results and guidance — supports longer‑term thesis but not immediate catalyst. Walmart Inc. (WMT) a Top Consumer Defensive Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector/industry notes highlight Walmart as a leader in omnichannel/digital transformation — supportive context but already priced into large‑cap defensive expectations. Zacks Industry Outlook Highlights Walmart
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor‑oriented media reiterate Walmart as a defensive name amid market volatility, which can attract capital during risk‑off periods but may limit upside in strong rallies. Market on Sale: 2 Stocks Worth Buying With $1,000
• Negative Sentiment: Recent daily headlines noted a short‑term pullback in WMT shares (prior session decline ~1.7%), a reminder of near‑term volatility despite solid fundamentals. Walmart (WMT) Stock Declines While Market Improves
• Negative Sentiment: Dividend growth at Walmart trails Costco, which could be a negative when competing for income‑focused investors despite Walmart’s other strengths. Walmart vs. Costco: One Dividend Is Growing Twice as Fast as the Other

Walmart Price Performance

WMT stock opened at $125.05 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $125.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $115.57. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $996.95 billion, a PE ratio of 45.64, a P/E/G ratio of 4.64 and a beta of 0.66. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $90.61 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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm 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. On average, analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current 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 given a $0.2475 dividend. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is 36.13%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WMT. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $140.00 price objective (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, January 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $137.64.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 486,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $62,203,571.56. This represents a 3.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.96, for a total transaction of $1,600,725.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 687,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $83,821,522.52. This trade represents a 1.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 260,529 shares of company stock valued at $32,173,300 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.