M&T Bank Corp Buys 51,727 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

M&T Bank Corp lifted its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 8.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 649,809 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 51,727 shares during the quarter. M&T Bank Corp’s holdings in Walmart were worth $72,395,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Collier Financial bought a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 193.0% in the 4th quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.21, for a total value of $2,566,989.36. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,193,995 shares in the company, valued at approximately $554,488,078.95. This trade represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.72, for a total value of $361,688.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 596,008 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $74,334,117.76. This trade represents a 0.48% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 243,376 shares of company stock worth $30,406,250. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on WMT. Mizuho upped their target price on Walmart from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. DA Davidson set a $150.00 target price on Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $138.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 target price (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $150.00 target price on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Walmart has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $137.79.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart announced a third U.S. milk-processing facility, a $350 million investment to boost domestic dairy supply and vertical integration, which should cut supply-chain risk and support grocery margins. Walmart opens third U.S. milk processing facility with $350 million investment
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart earmarked millions for multiple Arizona store upgrades — investments that can boost traffic, comps and localized competitiveness. Walmart earmarks millions for multiple Arizona store upgrades
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional investor Alecta increased its Walmart stake by ~406,400 shares, a sign of confidence from a large pension investor. Alecta Pensionsforsakring Boosts Walmart Stake by 406,400 Shares
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is expanding local-product assortments (e.g., region-specific coffee/beans) to better serve price‑sensitive consumers and differentiate merchandising — a low-cost way to improve basket relevance. Walmart Eyes Local Products as National Consumer Mood Sours
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and analyst pieces debate Walmart vs. Costco and reiterate bullish theses on WMT’s e‑commerce gains and higher‑income customer mix — these keep sentiment constructive but don’t change fundamentals immediately. Better Buy: Walmart or Costco Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Several bullish write-ups (Yahoo/InsiderMonkey summarizing a Substack thesis) highlight valuation and growth arguments; useful for sentiment but not new company action. Is Walmart Inc. (WMT) A Good Stock To Buy Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart’s Acres for America grants program awarded $5.4M in conservation grants — positive for ESG profile but limited direct financial impact. NFWF Announces $5.4 Million in Grants from Walmart’s Acres for America Program
• Neutral Sentiment: Internal leadership redesign (changes to store-lead roles and retention moves for high-paid managers) suggests workforce optimization; could reduce costs or create short-term disruption depending on execution. Walmart redesigns its leadership pipeline as managers making $400K stay for longer

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ WMT opened at $131.60 on Monday. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $91.89 and a fifty-two week high of $134.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.79. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $125.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $117.74. The stock has a market cap of $1.05 trillion, a P/E ratio of 48.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.90 and a beta of 0.65.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.66 EPS. The business’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. On average, analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Shareholders 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 36.13%.

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.