Profund Advisors LLC Decreases Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Profund Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 10.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 36,460 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 4,164 shares during the period. Profund Advisors LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $4,062,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart News Roundup

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

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total transaction of $2,555,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 486,764 shares in the company, valued at $62,203,571.56. The trade was a 3.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.96, for a total transaction of $1,600,725.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 687,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $83,821,522.52. This trade represents a 1.87% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 167,190 shares of company stock worth $20,975,838 over the last ninety days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. DA Davidson set a $150.00 price target on shares of Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $147.00 price target (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $150.00 price target for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $138.88.

Walmart Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of WMT stock opened at $134.20 on Wednesday. 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 Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $93.43 and a fifty-two week high of $135.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.07 trillion, a P/E ratio of 48.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.93 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $126.78 and a 200 day moving average price of $119.68.

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

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.2475 per share. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s payout ratio is 36.13%.

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.