Abacus Planning Group Inc. Grows Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Abacus Planning Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 37.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,325 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,785 shares during the quarter. Abacus Planning Group Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $3,156,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Matrix Trust Co raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 20.0% in the fourth quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 547 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 9,926 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,023,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Walmart by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 5,695 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $586,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. Boomfish Wealth Group LLC grew its position in Walmart by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Boomfish Wealth Group LLC now owns 3,701 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $381,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bailard Inc. grew its position in Walmart by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 29,445 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,035,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Walmart News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group upgraded Walmart from “hold” to “strong-buy,” signaling institutional confidence and likely supporting demand for the shares. Zacks.com
• Positive Sentiment: A bullish analyst note projects steady growth and a 12-month price target (~$130.57), giving investors a modest upside thesis tied to continued execution. Walmart Price Prediction: Steady Growth Makes Analysts Bullish
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart will pay its second 2026 dividend on April 6, which supports income-focused holders and can reduce near-term selling pressure around income flows. Walmart to pay 2026’s second dividend in April; Here’s how much 100 WMT shares will earn
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is testing a Sam’s Club membership fee increase and raising rewards caps — a sign of pricing power and potential margin upside if membership retention holds. Walmart Tests Sam’s Club Fee Hike Against Member Value And Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts/coverage note Walmart is shifting toward growth via expanding ad revenue and memberships, and Sam’s Club expansion, which helps operating income outpace sales — a longer-term positive re-rating catalyst. Walmart Stock Is Transforming Into a Growth Stock. Is It Time to Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: Walmex (Walmart’s Mexico unit) plans a $2.5B 2026 investment, signaling international expansion and capacity spending that could support future top-line growth. Walmart (WMT) Unit Walmex Plans $2.5B Investment in Mexico
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and pundit commentary (e.g., Jim Cramer) express bullish technical and sentiment views, which can amplify momentum trading but are less material than fundamental catalysts. Jim Cramer on Walmart
• Neutral Sentiment: Reporting shows Walmart shoppers so far are holding up despite ~$4 gas — a sign of resilience but also a watch item if fuel prices keep rising. Walmart shoppers aren’t breaking under the weight of $4 gas (yet)
• Negative Sentiment: An AOL piece highlights a Walmart-related recession indicator at its highest since 2008 — a macro risk that could pressure consumer spending and margins if the signal proves accurate. A Walmart-related recession indicator is at its highest since the 2008 financial crisis

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT opened at $125.79 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $1.00 trillion, a P/E ratio of 45.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.69 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $124.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $114.28. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $79.81 and a 52-week high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its earnings results 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. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.66 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. 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, equities analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Investors 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 is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.13%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on WMT shares. Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 target price on Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $147.00 price target (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Craig Hallum set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, March 6th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $147.00 price objective (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $127.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $135.76.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owned 533,466 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,082,852. The trade was a 6.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Donna Morris sold 76,181 shares of the 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 directly 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 274,278 shares of company stock valued at $33,825,793 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.