Sarasin & Partners LLP Lowers Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Sarasin & Partners LLP lessened its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 37.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 25,023 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 15,000 shares during the period. Sarasin & Partners LLP’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,788,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WMT. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Growing AI narrative and modest analyst upside: coverage notes that Walmart’s AI investments (supply-chain, store ops) are reshaping its growth story and one valuation model nudged fair value slightly higher to ~$136, supporting longer-term upside. This bolsters bullish investor interest in WMT as a tech-enabled retailer. How Walmart (WMT) Is Rewriting Its Story With AI Hype And Valuation Questions
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/technical support for defensive retail: coverage from Barron’s highlights Walmart alongside other defensive retail names on both technical and fundamental grounds, which can attract risk-off flows and relative-strength buyers in uncertain markets. Walmart, Ross Stores, and Other ‘Defensive’ Retail Stocks
• Positive Sentiment: Market narrative that Walmart is an AI play: features arguing Walmart (and Target) are meaningful AI plays could lift investor conviction around margin improvement and efficiency gains over time. Forget Chipmakers: Walmart and Target Are the Real AI Plays
• Neutral Sentiment: Higher-than-usual call buying: intraday activity showed a ~42% increase in call option volume, which signals bullish positioning but could be speculative or short-term. Watch whether this leads to sustained buying or just short-term gamma flow.
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO transition focus: commentary on managing and positioning around CEO transitions notes both risk and opportunity — transitions can create volatility but also potential strategic shifts. Investors should watch messaging and execution from leadership. How to Play 3 Major CEO Transitions in Early 2026 (WMT)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling by CEO: CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares (~1.87% reduction in his position) in a disclosed SEC filing — insider sales can be interpreted negatively by some investors even if part of routine diversification. Insider Sale SEC Filing

Walmart Price Performance

WMT stock opened at $119.02 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $124.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $112.95. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $79.81 and a 12-month high of $134.69. 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 company has a market cap of $948.88 billion, a PE ratio of 43.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.43 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.66 EPS. 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 predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.13%.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.27, for a total value of $2,445,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 506,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $61,962,034.28. This represents a 3.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Donna Morris sold 76,181 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.79, for a total transaction of $9,430,445.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 402,072 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,772,492.88. This represents a 15.93% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 274,278 shares of company stock valued at $33,605,809 in the last three months. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the subject of several analyst reports. DA Davidson set a $150.00 target price on Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $130.00 price target (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $120.00 price target on Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, January 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $135.76.

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.