AE Wealth Management LLC Raises Stock Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

AE Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 56.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 871,577 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 315,046 shares during the period. AE Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $97,102,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Collier Financial purchased a new position in Walmart in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP purchased a new position in Walmart in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Roble Belko & Company Inc increased its holdings in Walmart by 212.6% in the third quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 322 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on WMT. DA Davidson set a $150.00 target price on shares of Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price objective (up from $136.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $137.64.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company announces its largest U.S. store modernization program — 650+ remodels and ~20 new openings through 2027 to improve layouts, tech, pickup and delivery integration, aimed at accelerating omnichannel sales and same-store traffic. Walmart Modernizes U.S. Stores As Omnichannel Investment Meets Fair Value Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is expanding health/weight-management services (Better Care Services) to support customers using or exploring GLP-1s — a higher-margin service layer that can drive pharmacy and virtual-care revenue and deepen customer engagement. Walmart Expands Access to Weight Management Support Services for Customers on or exploring GLP-1s
• Positive Sentiment: Flipkart (Walmart-owned) plans to enter India’s ticketing market for movies and live events, offering a new revenue stream in a fast-growing entertainment sector and strengthening Flipkart’s consumer proposition. Walmart’s Flipkart plans foray into India’s ticketing market as live events boom
• Positive Sentiment: A small institutional buyer (BCS Wealth Management) increased its WMT stake, a sign of incremental fund interest though not a major ownership shift. BCS Wealth Management Has $1.61 Million Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is refreshing its Great Value private-label packaging — a brand update that can support shelf appeal and private-label mix but is unlikely to move near-term revenue materially. Walmart announces a redesign of its Great Value brand
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart launched branded fashion collaborations (e.g., a Devil Wears Prada collection) — useful for marketing and traffic but unlikely to be a major earnings driver. Fashion moves: Walmart launches a collection tied to The Devil Wears Prada
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary on potential Sam’s Club membership fee increases could help U.S. club margins if implemented, but the competitive impact vs. Costco remains uncertain. Will Increased Membership Fees at Walmart’s Sam’s Club Actually Boost Costco’s Stock Instead?
• Negative Sentiment: Several senior executives sold shares over April 15–16 (EVPs Daniel Bartlett and Christopher Nicholas, and CEO John Furner). Each sale was small relative to holdings and executed under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, but the headline risk can create short-term selling pressure or negative investor perception. Daniel J. Bartlett Form 4 Christopher James Nicholas Form 4 John R. Furner Form 4

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 687,287 shares in the company, valued at $83,821,522.52. This trade represents a 1.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total transaction of $2,555,800.00. Following the completion of 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 position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 263,376 shares of company stock worth $32,598,466 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $127.50 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $91.34 and a 1 year high of $134.69. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $125.64 and its 200 day moving average price is $115.96. The firm has a market cap of $1.02 trillion, a P/E ratio of 46.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 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 (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its 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. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.66 earnings per share. Walmart’s revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be issued 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 is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.