Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Bought by Adell Harriman & Carpenter Inc.

Adell Harriman & Carpenter Inc. grew its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 8.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 188,642 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 13,912 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for 1.3% of Adell Harriman & Carpenter Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Adell Harriman & Carpenter Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $21,017,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Collier Financial acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new position in Walmart in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total value of $4,158,004.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 533,466 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,082,852. This trade represents a 6.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.96, for a total value of $1,600,725.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 687,287 shares in the company, valued at $83,821,522.52. This represents a 1.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 167,190 shares of company stock valued at $20,975,838 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts have been raising price targets and reiterating bullish ratings on Walmart ahead of earnings, reflecting confidence in the company’s execution and near-term outlook. Walmart stock: Here’s why analysts are raising price targets before Q1 earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is benefiting from its scale, digital expansion, and higher-margin businesses, which are helping it outperform rivals and absorb tariff-related cost pressure better than peers. Scale, online push and loyalty fees: how Walmart won the year of the tariffs
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is expected to deliver solid Q1 results, with investors watching for continued omnichannel momentum, e-commerce growth, and gains in ads and membership revenue. Walmart Looks Strong Ahead of Q1 Earnings: Should Investors Stay Put?
• Positive Sentiment: Management’s push into AI and automation could support margins over time by improving fulfillment efficiency and lowering operating costs. Walmart’s AI and Automation Push: Long-Term Cost Advantage?
• Neutral Sentiment: One small insider sale by EVP Daniel Bartlett is a headline risk, but it was a pre-arranged 10b5-1 transaction and does not appear to signal a major change in outlook. SEC Form 4 filing
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader retail comparisons and market worries around consumer spending and geopolitics may create short-term volatility, but they also reinforce Walmart’s defensive appeal. NVDA, WMT Report This Week, but News on the Strait Is Key

Walmart Stock Performance

Walmart stock opened at $134.20 on Wednesday. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $93.43 and a fifty-two week high of $135.16. The company has a market capitalization of $1.07 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.98, a PEG ratio of 4.93 and a beta of 0.65. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $126.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $119.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.79.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The business’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.66 earnings per share. 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 anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Investors of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a $0.2475 dividend. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.13%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on WMT shares. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $145.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $150.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. BTIG Research increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Craig Hallum set a $150.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Argus raised Walmart to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.88.

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.