Guardian Capital LLC Invests $1.84 Million in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Guardian Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 16,519 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,840,000. Walmart makes up about 1.6% of Guardian Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 57.4% in the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $131.45 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 fifty day moving average price of $126.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $119.15. The company has a market cap of $1.05 trillion, a P/E ratio of 47.97, a P/E/G ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.65. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $93.43 and a 12-month 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. Research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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%.

Trending Headlines about Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UBS and other analysts expect Walmart to deliver another strong quarter, helped by resilient grocery demand, e-commerce growth, and advertising momentum, which could support the stock if results meet or exceed expectations.
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America said Walmart’s consistent sales growth should be rewarded by the market, reinforcing the view that WMT remains a defensive growth name ahead of earnings.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary also highlights Walmart as a long-term growth and momentum stock, with investors continuing to search for the name ahead of the report.
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart said it will host its first-quarter earnings conference call on May 21, keeping attention focused on upcoming results and guidance rather than any new business update. Walmart To Host First Quarter Earnings Conference Call May 21, 2026
• Negative Sentiment: One bearish analysis argued that expectations may be too high versus Walmart’s own guidance, warning that reported sales growth may not be enough to justify a further move higher and that investors may want to trim positions.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WMT. Truist Financial increased their price target on Walmart from $127.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating 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. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $147.00 price target (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $137.00 price target (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group increased their price target on Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Walmart currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.88.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total value of $2,555,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 486,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $62,203,571.56. This represents a 3.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total transaction of $1,214,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 108,294 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,153,389.24. The trade was a 8.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 167,195 shares of company stock worth $20,975,804 over the last quarter. 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.