Key Points
- Daniel Bartlett sold 1,255 shares of Walmart at an average price of $133.21 (total ~$167,179), leaving him with 586,329 shares — a 0.21% reduction in his holdings.
- Walmart slightly beat Q4 estimates (EPS $0.74 vs. $0.73; revenue $190.66B) but issued conservative FY‑2027 guidance (EPS 2.75–2.85) and cautious Q1 guidance, which helped drive a near‑term stock pullback.
- The board boosted shareholder returns — raising the annual dividend to $0.99 and authorizing a roughly $30B buyback — while analysts have been lifting price targets and keeping a generally positive stance on the stock.
Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) EVP Daniel Bartlett sold 1,255 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.21, for a total value of $167,178.55. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 586,329 shares in the company, valued at $78,104,886.09. The trade was a 0.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.
Walmart Stock Performance
WMT traded down $3.28 during trading on Friday, hitting $121.59. 17,285,565 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 38,788,746. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $79.81 and a one year high of $134.69. The stock's fifty day moving average is $119.24 and its 200 day moving average is $109.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm has a market cap of $969.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.99 and a beta of 0.65.
Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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. Walmart had a net margin of 3.26% and a return on equity of 21.31%. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $188.37 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.66 earnings per share. The company's quarterly 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 predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Walmart Dividend Announcement
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 issued a dividend of $0.2475 per share. 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 payout ratio is presently 32.87%.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart
Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at about $6,458,529,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 9,648.7% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,486,374 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,123,138,000 after acquiring an additional 11,368,549 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 188.1% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,199,907,000 after acquiring an additional 7,614,172 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer's stock worth $11,426,753,000 after purchasing an additional 6,517,394 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 431,817,510 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $42,223,116,000 after purchasing an additional 5,856,468 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of analysts have recently issued reports on WMT shares. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $147.00 price target (up previously from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $130.00 target price (up from $123.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. BMO Capital Markets reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Raymond James Financial reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $120.00 price objective (up from $115.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, November 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-two have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $132.15.
Get Our Latest Report on WMT
More Walmart News
Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Walmart is leaning into AI and automation that management says is already boosting productivity and e‑commerce growth — a thematic bullish story for long‑term margin and market‑share upside. The future of retail is AI
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts are raising targets and reiterating buy/outperform calls (Telsey to $140, BTIG reaffirmed buy), supporting upside expectations and providing near‑term demand for shares. Telsey raises target
- Positive Sentiment: Board raised shareholder returns — Walmart increased the annual dividend (to $0.99) and authorized a fresh buyback ($30B reported elsewhere), which underpins cash‑return support for the stock. Dividend increase press release
- Neutral Sentiment: Institutional buying and technicals: coverage shows increased institutional accumulation and technical analysts highlight a pullback to the $120–$110 area as a buying opportunity — this can stabilize downside but may not spark immediate rallies. MarketBeat buy thesis
- Neutral Sentiment: An executive sold a modest block of shares (Form 4 disclosure); size is small relative to insider holdings and typical for diversification/liquidity, so limited signal. SEC filing
- Negative Sentiment: Guidance disappointed: Walmart beat Q4 results (EPS $0.74, revenue $190.7B) but set FY27 EPS and Q1 guidance below Street consensus, and management used cautious language — the guidance miss is the primary driver of the pullback. Q4 press release / slides
- Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns and bearish takes: some commentators argue improved operating income growth doesn’t justify current multiples (calls to hold/sell), adding selling pressure among valuation‑sensitive investors. Seeking Alpha valuation critique
- Negative Sentiment: Competitive symbolism: Amazon overtook Walmart in annual revenue — largely symbolic but it reinforces competitive narrative and investor focus on market position and growth initiatives. Amazon surpasses Walmart
Walmart Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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.
Further Reading
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