Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. Purchases 664,128 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 55.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,856,423 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 664,128 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for about 1.2% of Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $191,323,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Banque Transatlantique SA lifted its position in Walmart by 1.4% during the third quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA now owns 1,285,863 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $132,367,000 after purchasing an additional 17,438 shares during the last quarter. Cadence Bank increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 21.8% in the 3rd quarter. Cadence Bank now owns 355,599 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $36,648,000 after buying an additional 63,575 shares during the last quarter. Dodge & Cox raised its position in shares of Walmart by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 180,835 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $18,637,000 after buying an additional 1,750 shares in the last quarter. FreeGulliver LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 116.8% in the 3rd quarter. FreeGulliver LLC now owns 5,545 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $571,000 after acquiring an additional 2,987 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Glenmede Investment Management LP grew its position in Walmart by 0.9% in the third quarter. Glenmede Investment Management LP now owns 984,959 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $101,510,000 after acquiring an additional 8,859 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WMT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Walmart from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Argus upgraded shares of Walmart to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $140.00 price target (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $150.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $135.76.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 727,155 shares in the company, valued at $87,251,328.45. This represents a 1.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total transaction of $4,158,004.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 533,466 shares in the company, 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. Insiders have sold a total of 279,703 shares of company stock worth $34,140,843 in the last three months. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walmart Stock Up 0.9%

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $126.52 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $79.81 and a 1-year high of $134.69. The company has a 50-day moving average of $123.16 and a 200 day moving average of $111.84. The firm has a market cap of $1.01 trillion, a PE ratio of 46.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.24.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $190.66 billion for 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%. Walmart’s revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company 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, research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business 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. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s payout ratio is currently 34.31%.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart reported continued digital strength: eCommerce grew ~24% in the fiscal fourth quarter, reinforcing its omnichannel momentum and supporting revenue beat and modest upside to guidance — a clear near-term growth driver. Walmart eCommerce Up 24: Can Digital Momentum Continue?
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and portfolio shops remain constructive: Tigress Financial reiterated a Buy and raised its price target to $150, citing Walmart’s shift toward tech-driven omnichannel operations — a signal of upward analyst sentiment. Tigress Financial Sees Walmart Inc. (WMT) as Tech-Driven Retail Leader
• Positive Sentiment: Flipkart IPO progress (Walmart-backed) remains a potential longer-term upside — an equity event that could unlock value and generate cash/strategic optionality. Walmart-backed Flipkart preps for an IPO as early as this year
• Neutral Sentiment: Schaeffer’s options commentary flagged bullish setups and the possibility of further record highs for WMT — useful for options traders but not a broad fundamental catalyst. Walmart Stock Could Nab More Record Highs
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysis pieces (The Motley Fool) flag that Walmart’s digital push could pay off if fulfillment economics and ROIC improve; it’s strategic upside but execution-dependent. Will Walmart’s Digital Push Pay Off in 2026?
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is referenced in pieces about stock splits and retail-focused ETFs — background thematic support but not an immediate catalyst. 3 ETFs That Could Benefit as Consumers Tighten Their Budgets (WMT)
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical risk: coverage notes the Iran war and possible Strait of Hormuz disruptions could push supply-chain costs and retail prices higher — a margin and inflation risk for Walmart. How the Iran war could start to impact U.S. retail prices
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and sentiment pressure: commentary (247WallStreet) highlights retail investor criticism of WMT’s ~46x multiple and recent bearish social sentiment, raising the risk of multiple compression if growth disappoints. Reddit’s Loudest Walmart Critics Have a Point About That 46x Multiple

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.