Wesbanco Bank Inc. Cuts Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Wesbanco Bank Inc. lessened its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 339,782 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 11,986 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for approximately 1.0% of Wesbanco Bank Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Wesbanco Bank Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $35,018,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WMT. Collier Financial purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Access Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 212.6% during the third quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 322 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares during the period. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP Donna Morris sold 76,181 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.79, for a total value of $9,430,445.99. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 402,072 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,772,492.88. This trade represents a 15.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.99, for a total value of $1,574,868.75. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 727,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $87,251,328.45. This represents a 1.77% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 229,196 shares of company stock valued at $26,957,858 in the last three months. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho raised its price target on WMT to $137 and put an “outperform” rating on the stock, implying upside from current levels — a direct bullish signal that can drive buying interest from funds that follow analyst guidance. Mizuho raises WMT price target
• Positive Sentiment: DBS initiated/maintained a buy on WMT (press coverage), adding third‑party validation that could support inflows from Asia‑focused or model‑driven investors. DBS buys WMT
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighting WMT’s rise to a ~$1 trillion market cap frames the company’s omnichannel and automation progress as a growth story — a sentiment boost for investors focused on structural earnings improvement. Walmart reaches $1T valuation
• Positive Sentiment: A Barron’s piece argues Walmart can benefit from big‑tech AI investment without matching their huge capex, suggesting Walmart could capture AI-driven gains (better supply chain, personalization, automation) while preserving capital — a potentially margin‑supportive narrative. Walmart letting big tech foot AI bill
• Neutral Sentiment: Kroger naming ex‑Walmart executive Greg Foran as CEO is notable for talent flow in the grocery sector; it could sharpen competition execution but is not an immediate direct negative for Walmart’s core omnichannel thesis. Kroger names ex‑Walmart exec CEO
• Negative Sentiment: Macro risk: commentary on the bond market and potential Fed policy shifts (yield curve moves, Fed chair nomination coverage) raises recession/inflation volatility concerns — a headwind for broad equity multiples and highly valued consumer names. Bond market warning / macro risk

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on WMT shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $129.00 price target (up previously from $122.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, January 5th. DA Davidson set a $130.00 target price on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and issued a $147.00 target price (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday. Thirty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.94.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $129.02 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $116.79 and its 200-day moving average is $107.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.03 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 0.65. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $79.81 and a one year high of $131.79.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $179.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $175.15 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.26% and a return on equity of 21.31%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.58 earnings per share. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

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.