Erste Asset Management GmbH Acquires 10,608 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Erste Asset Management GmbH grew its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 6.0% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 186,811 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,608 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in Walmart were worth $19,600,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. TIAA Trust National Association lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 568,734 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $58,614,000 after acquiring an additional 19,112 shares during the last quarter. Banco Santander S.A. raised its position in Walmart by 30.1% during the third quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 853,104 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $87,921,000 after purchasing an additional 197,335 shares during the period. Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in Walmart by 5.1% during the third quarter. Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,919 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $713,000 after purchasing an additional 334 shares during the period. Lansing Street Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 9.4% in the 3rd quarter. Lansing Street Advisors now owns 4,462 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $460,000 after purchasing an additional 382 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 70,279 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $7,140,000 after purchasing an additional 4,174 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on WMT. HSBC lowered Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and increased their price target for the company from $122.00 to $131.00 in a report on Friday, February 20th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $135.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $134.00 target price (up from $129.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $134.42.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.99, for a total value of $1,574,868.75. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 727,155 shares in the company, valued at $87,251,328.45. The trade was a 1.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total transaction of $4,158,004.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 533,466 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $65,082,852. This trade represents a 6.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 261,903 shares of company stock valued at $31,829,749. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

Walmart stock opened at $127.95 on Friday. 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 $1.02 trillion, a PE ratio of 46.70, a P/E/G ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $120.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $110.07. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $79.81 and a fifty-two week high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced 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 company 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%.Walmart’s revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior 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. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $0.2475 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.31%.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America initiated coverage with a “Buy” rating and a $150 price target, signaling materially higher analyst optimism versus the current share level (roughly +17% upside from the cited price).
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results showed a slight EPS beat (reported $0.74 vs. $0.73 est.) and revenue topped estimates; management issued FY2027 EPS guidance of $2.75–$2.85, supporting multiple expansion and investor confidence.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is rolling out its Scintilla In-Store data platform and expanding private/partner brands, moves that reinforce higher-margin adjacencies (ads, marketplace, fulfillment) and long-term e‑commerce/store integration growth. Walmart Supplier Tech And New Brands Reframe Stores As Data Platforms
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage consensus remains constructive — a “Moderate Buy” consensus was reported, reflecting institutional buy-side alignment but some variance in targets. Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart leadership will participate in upcoming investor events and webcasts — provides management access to investors for strategy updates and Q&A, which can influence near-term sentiment. Walmart Leadership to Participate in Upcoming Investor Events
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart agreed to settle FTC claims over Spark driver pay for roughly $100M total, including a $16M payout to drivers over alleged misleading pay/tip claims — a near-term cash hit and reputational/legal overhang, though not material to operating margins long-term at scale. Walmart agrees to $100M settlement over deceptive pay practices in Spark Driver program Walmart agrees to pay $16 million to its Spark delivery drivers to settle claims it misled them over tips and pay

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.