Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Purchased by Ascent Group LLC

Ascent Group LLC boosted its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 2.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 185,382 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,076 shares during the period. Walmart makes up about 0.7% of Ascent Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Ascent Group LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $20,653,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new stake in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Roble Belko & Company Inc increased its holdings in Walmart by 212.6% in the 3rd quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 322 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $126.79 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $125.15 and a two-hundred day moving average of $114.60. The stock has a market cap of $1.01 trillion, a P/E ratio of 46.27, a PEG ratio of 4.69 and a beta of 0.66. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $79.81 and a 1-year high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company 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. On average, research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a $0.2475 dividend. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.10, for a total transaction of $1,694,437.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 591,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $76,308,944.40. This trade represents a 2.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly 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 sold a total of 274,278 shares of company stock worth $33,825,793 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart Marketplace sales are reported to be up roughly 20%, with rising seller participation and fulfillment adoption that can lift gross margins and reduce inventory risk. Walmart Marketplace Gains Traction: What Does It Mean for Margins?
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s advertising business grew ~46% in FY2026, becoming a meaningful and higher-margin contributor to operating profit. This supports the shift to a more profitable revenue mix. I Was Shocked to See How Much This Fast-Growing Business Is Adding to Walmart’s Bottom Line
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is expanding into premium beauty with La Roche-Posay pharmacist-led consultations in ~1,460 stores — a move toward higher-margin, service-led retail and stronger customer engagement. Walmart’s La Roche Posay Push Tests Premium Beauty And Valuation Story
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is testing exclusive branded products (Opopop rollout with a store-exclusive flavor) to differentiate assortment and drive traffic/loyalty — a revenue and margin positive if scaled. Walmart’s Opopop Rollout Tests How Exclusive Snacks Support Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Broader “higher-margin ecosystem” initiatives — expanded brand launches, retail media deals, Sam’s Club pricing actions and capital plans at Walmex — reinforce a strategic shift to tech-enabled, higher-margin streams. How Walmart’s Push Into Higher-Margin Ecosystem Plays Could Impact Walmart (WMT) Investors
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart received an upgrade from Erste Group Bank, adding near-term analyst support to the stock’s momentum. Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) Upgraded at Erste Group Bank
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage pieces note Wall Street analysts are generally optimistic on WMT, which can amplify buying interest when combined with the operational updates above. Is Walmart (WMT) a Buy as Wall Street Analysts Look Optimistic?
• Neutral Sentiment: A valuation comparison piece pits Carrefour (CRRFY) against Walmart to assess relative value; useful context for long-term investors but not an immediate catalyst. CRRFY or WMT: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart and Sam’s Club launched the 13th annual “Fight Hunger. Spark Change.” campaign — positive for brand/CSR but with limited direct impact on near-term earnings. For 13th consecutive year, Walmart, Sam’s Club and Feeding America partner for ‘Fight Hunger. Spark Change.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WMT. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 price target (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 price target (up from $136.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Roth Mkm reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $138.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 price target on Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $135.76.

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.