Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Lowers Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR decreased its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 17.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 150,423 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 30,779 shares during the period. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR’s holdings in Walmart were worth $16,759,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Collier Financial purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 57.4% during the 4th quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC now owns 288 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 price target (up from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, January 18th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 price target (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Walmart from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.09.

Walmart Stock Performance

Walmart stock opened at $130.20 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $125.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $118.22. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $91.89 and a twelve month high of $134.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The company has a market cap of $1.04 trillion, a PE ratio of 47.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.85 and a beta of 0.65.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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 payout ratio is 36.13%.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.72, for a total value of $361,688.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 596,008 shares in the company, valued at $74,334,117.76. The trade was a 0.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,335 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.63, for a total transaction of $166,381.05. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 636,843 shares in the company, valued at approximately $79,369,743.09. This trade represents a 0.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 167,195 shares of company stock worth $20,975,804. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BTIG raised its price target to $145 and issued a buy rating, signaling more upside from sell‑side research which can attract momentum buyers and support the stock. BTIG price target raise
• Positive Sentiment: BTIG also issued a positive forecast for WMT, reinforcing the buy case from analysts and likely contributing to investor confidence. BTIG Research Issues Positive Forecast for Walmart
• Positive Sentiment: CNBC reports that higher‑earners are disproportionately driving Walmart’s stock strength this year — a shift that suggests resilience in discretionary spend at WMT and helps explain recent multiple expansion. Walmart has been on fire this year
• Positive Sentiment: Fisher Asset Management boosted its Walmart stake by ~350,904 shares, an institutional buy that signals confidence and can support the share price via flows. Fisher Asset Management Boosts Walmart Stake
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage remembering Walmart’s long-term dividend and total‑return track record supports buy‑and‑hold sentiment among income investors. Walmart Has Rewarded Patient Investors
• Neutral Sentiment: Barron’s warns upcoming retail earnings (including Walmart’s) will be watched for signs of consumer stress amid high gas prices — a macro read that could swing sentiment either way depending on results. Retail Earnings Will Show How Much Pressure Consumers Are Under
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart Canada launched a $1M donation campaign with Children’s Miracle Network — positive PR but unlikely to move the stock materially. Walmart Canada and Children’s Miracle Network Rally Canadians
• Neutral Sentiment: A smallholder (RWWM, Inc.) trimmed its stake by ~2,388 shares — a minor position change that doesn’t meaningfully alter institutional ownership trends. RWWM Trims Walmart Stake
• Negative Sentiment: Seeking Alpha argues Walmart’s current valuation is hard to justify, flagging risk of multiple contraction if growth disappoints — a narrative that can pressure the stock. Walmart: Tough To Justify This Valuation
• Negative Sentiment: Business Insider reports operational friction after Walmart partially reversed cart‑handling rules following safety concerns — a sign of execution/worker‑safety issues that could draw short‑term negative attention. Walmart changes cart rules for workers

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.