PUREfi Wealth LLC Boosts Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

PUREfi Wealth LLC grew its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 65.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 54,303 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 21,406 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises about 4.6% of PUREfi Wealth LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest position. PUREfi Wealth LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $6,050,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Walmart during the 2nd quarter valued at about $5,367,770,000. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 188.1% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,199,907,000 after purchasing an additional 7,614,172 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its stake in Walmart by 20.5% in the third quarter. Amundi now owns 23,497,921 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,413,236,000 after purchasing an additional 4,004,277 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 0.9% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 435,652,710 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $44,898,368,000 after buying an additional 3,835,200 shares during the period. Finally, Danske Bank A S purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the third quarter valued at approximately $294,621,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total value of $2,555,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 486,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $62,203,571.56. This trade represents a 3.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.71, for a total value of $2,460,201.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,023,209 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $509,780,812.39. The trade was a 0.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 254,862 shares of company stock worth $31,434,518. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on WMT. 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. Bank of America assumed coverage on Walmart in a report on Friday, February 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $150.00 price objective on Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. 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. Finally, Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $130.00 target price (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $135.76.

Walmart Trading Down 0.7%

NASDAQ WMT opened at $122.18 on Friday. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $79.81 and a one year 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 company has a market capitalization of $974.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.58 and a beta of 0.66. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $124.29 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $113.37.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. The firm 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 company’s revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $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. Equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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 given a dividend of $0.2475 per share. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.13%.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies and other outlets highlight Walmart emerging as a frontrunner in retail AI adoption — a potential catalyst for faster online growth, better margins via automation and personalization, and competitive advantage vs. peers. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is rolling out The Farmer’s Dog products in stores and online, expanding into premium pet food — a higher‑margin, recurring category that can boost average basket values and online penetration. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Industry coverage frames Walmart’s long‑term online transformation (“second act”) toward a larger e‑commerce footprint, reinforcing the narrative that digital growth remains a core upside driver. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparative pieces weighing Amazon vs. Walmart keep the stock in focus but offer limited near‑term directional impact — they underscore valuation and execution tradeoffs investors should monitor. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: CNBC reports outgoing CEOs (including former Walmart CEO Doug McMillon) citing AI as a driver for leadership changes — signals corporate emphasis on AI but not an immediate operational shock. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentators (Jim Cramer) note Walmart among retailers that could hold up if macro slows (e.g., from lower oil prices), a thematic support for defensive retail exposure. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Berger Montague has opened an investigation into Walmart’s board over alleged oversight failures related to deceptive pay practices for Spark drivers — introduces legal, governance and reputational risk that could prompt costs or settlements. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst pieces flag high valuation and mounting headwinds that could warrant downgrades — a risk to near‑term performance given WMT’s elevated P/E and limited upside vs. consensus targets. Read More.

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.