Advisors Capital Management LLC Purchases 5,953 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Advisors Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 224,564 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,953 shares during the quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $25,019,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,561 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $285,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Capstone Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Capstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,955 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $552,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Matrix Trust Co boosted its holdings in Walmart by 20.0% during the 4th quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 547 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. HRC Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. HRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,209 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $246,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC grew its position in Walmart by 6.0% in the 4th quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 1,672 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $186,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP Donna Morris sold 76,181 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.79, for a total value of $9,430,445.99. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 402,072 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $49,772,492.88. The trade was a 15.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total transaction of $4,158,004.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 533,466 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $65,082,852. The trade was a 6.01% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 263,376 shares of company stock worth $32,851,650. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts note Walmart’s earnings mix is shifting toward higher‑margin streams—advertising, memberships and e‑commerce—which helped Q4 profits outpace sales and could support margin resiliency going forward. Walmart Builds Diversified Profit Streams
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart Connect expanded CTV advertising tools (Connect Select marketplace + more partner integrations), a product push that can accelerate ad revenue growth by making streaming buys easier for mid‑sized advertisers. This reinforces the company’s strategy to diversify revenue beyond retail sales. Walmart Simplifies Streaming Ads for Mid-Sized Business
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart launched an exclusive U.S. partnership to roll out ARIH, a BTS‑linked food & beverage brand, across stores and online—a targeted merchandising play to attract younger, culturally engaged shoppers and drive store and e‑commerce traffic. Walmart Bets On BTS ARIH Brand To Refresh Omni Channel Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Retail investor commentary places WMT among “best quality” dividend stocks on Reddit compilations—highlighting Walmart’s scale, dividend yield and steady cash flow as supportive of long‑term investor interest. (Coverage appeared across retail finance sites.) Is Walmart (WMT) One of the Best Quality Dividend Stocks to Buy According to Reddit?
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the operational positives, WMT shares sold off today while the broader market advanced; media coverage highlighted the drop, which may reflect short‑term profit‑taking, valuation concerns (WMT’s premium P/E) or rotation away from defensive/retail names. Walmart (WMT) Stock Drops Despite Market Gains: Important Facts to Note

Walmart Trading Down 1.8%

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $127.59 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $125.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of $117.21. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $91.89 and a one year high of $134.69. The firm has a market cap of $1.02 trillion, a P/E ratio of 46.57, a P/E/G ratio of 4.84 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion for 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 quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last 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. Equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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 $0.2475 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.13%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on WMT shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $134.00 target price (up from $129.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 price target (up from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $137.79.

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.