Main Street Research LLC Boosts Stock Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Main Street Research LLC raised its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 340,885 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,139 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up 1.9% of Main Street Research LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 24th largest holding. Main Street Research LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $35,132,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WMT. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 3,835,200 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Walmart in the 2nd quarter worth about $5,367,770,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,298,623 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,153,176,000 after buying an additional 634,211 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 31,973,329 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,126,775,000 after buying an additional 1,098,342 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc lifted its holdings in Walmart by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 27,268,463 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,810,288,000 after buying an additional 934,468 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Donna Morris sold 76,181 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.79, for a total value of $9,430,445.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 402,072 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,772,492.88. The trade was a 15.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.83, for a total value of $2,171,291.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 4,315,333 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $482,583,689.39. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 279,703 shares of company stock worth $34,140,843. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $140.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $140.00 price target (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Walmart from $127.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 price objective on Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $135.76.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $126.52 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $123.16 and a 200-day moving average price of $111.84. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $79.81 and a fifty-two week high of $134.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.01 trillion, a PE ratio of 46.18, a PEG ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 0.66. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period 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. Equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.31%.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart reported continued digital strength: eCommerce grew ~24% in the fiscal fourth quarter, reinforcing its omnichannel momentum and supporting revenue beat and modest upside to guidance — a clear near-term growth driver. Walmart eCommerce Up 24: Can Digital Momentum Continue?
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and portfolio shops remain constructive: Tigress Financial reiterated a Buy and raised its price target to $150, citing Walmart’s shift toward tech-driven omnichannel operations — a signal of upward analyst sentiment. Tigress Financial Sees Walmart Inc. (WMT) as Tech-Driven Retail Leader
• Positive Sentiment: Flipkart IPO progress (Walmart-backed) remains a potential longer-term upside — an equity event that could unlock value and generate cash/strategic optionality. Walmart-backed Flipkart preps for an IPO as early as this year
• Neutral Sentiment: Schaeffer’s options commentary flagged bullish setups and the possibility of further record highs for WMT — useful for options traders but not a broad fundamental catalyst. Walmart Stock Could Nab More Record Highs
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysis pieces (The Motley Fool) flag that Walmart’s digital push could pay off if fulfillment economics and ROIC improve; it’s strategic upside but execution-dependent. Will Walmart’s Digital Push Pay Off in 2026?
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is referenced in pieces about stock splits and retail-focused ETFs — background thematic support but not an immediate catalyst. 3 ETFs That Could Benefit as Consumers Tighten Their Budgets (WMT)
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical risk: coverage notes the Iran war and possible Strait of Hormuz disruptions could push supply-chain costs and retail prices higher — a margin and inflation risk for Walmart. How the Iran war could start to impact U.S. retail prices
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and sentiment pressure: commentary (247WallStreet) highlights retail investor criticism of WMT’s ~46x multiple and recent bearish social sentiment, raising the risk of multiple compression if growth disappoints. Reddit’s Loudest Walmart Critics Have a Point About That 46x Multiple

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.