Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Purchased by Czech National Bank

Czech National Bank raised its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 3.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,156,226 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 41,454 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for about 0.8% of Czech National Bank’s holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Czech National Bank’s holdings in Walmart were worth $128,815,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. First Bank & Trust boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. First Bank & Trust now owns 11,607 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,293,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. Canvas Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 19.8% during the 4th quarter. Canvas Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 26,214 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,926,000 after purchasing an additional 4,332 shares during the period. Optivise Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 26.4% in the 4th quarter. Optivise Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,551 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $841,000 after purchasing an additional 1,576 shares in the last quarter. Client 1ST Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at about $405,000. Finally, Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $150.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and set a $147.00 price target (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $145.00 price target (up from $128.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price objective on Walmart from $127.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $135.76.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $122.18 on Friday. 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 stock has a market cap of $974.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.59, a PEG ratio of 4.58 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a 50-day moving average of $124.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $113.37. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $79.81 and a 12-month high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. The business 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%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business 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. As a group, research analysts predict 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. Investors of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid a $0.2475 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.13%.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies and other outlets highlight Walmart emerging as a frontrunner in retail AI adoption — a potential catalyst for faster online growth, better margins via automation and personalization, and competitive advantage vs. peers. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is rolling out The Farmer’s Dog products in stores and online, expanding into premium pet food — a higher‑margin, recurring category that can boost average basket values and online penetration. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Industry coverage frames Walmart’s long‑term online transformation (“second act”) toward a larger e‑commerce footprint, reinforcing the narrative that digital growth remains a core upside driver. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparative pieces weighing Amazon vs. Walmart keep the stock in focus but offer limited near‑term directional impact — they underscore valuation and execution tradeoffs investors should monitor. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: CNBC reports outgoing CEOs (including former Walmart CEO Doug McMillon) citing AI as a driver for leadership changes — signals corporate emphasis on AI but not an immediate operational shock. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentators (Jim Cramer) note Walmart among retailers that could hold up if macro slows (e.g., from lower oil prices), a thematic support for defensive retail exposure. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Berger Montague has opened an investigation into Walmart’s board over alleged oversight failures related to deceptive pay practices for Spark drivers — introduces legal, governance and reputational risk that could prompt costs or settlements. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst pieces flag high valuation and mounting headwinds that could warrant downgrades — a risk to near‑term performance given WMT’s elevated P/E and limited upside vs. consensus targets. Read More.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total value of $4,158,004.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 533,466 shares in the company, valued at $65,082,852. This represents a 6.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $126.71, for a total value of $2,460,201.36. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,023,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $509,780,812.39. The trade was a 0.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 254,862 shares of company stock worth $31,434,518 in the last quarter. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.