PNC Financial Services Group Inc. Sells 29,997 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lessened its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 3,870,607 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 29,997 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $431,224,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Saranac Partners Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 17.6% during the 4th quarter. Saranac Partners Ltd now owns 76,790 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $8,570,000 after acquiring an additional 11,517 shares during the last quarter. Tredje AP fonden increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 42.5% in the 4th quarter. Tredje AP fonden now owns 1,309,785 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $145,923,000 after purchasing an additional 390,460 shares in the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 1,760,513 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $196,139,000 after purchasing an additional 24,378 shares in the last quarter. Paul R. Ried Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $217,000. Finally, Hartford Funds Management Co LLC raised its holdings in Walmart by 70.0% in the 4th quarter. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC now owns 23,075 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,571,000 after purchasing an additional 9,505 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $145.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $135.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $150.00 target price on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $138.88.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.96, for a total transaction of $1,600,725.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 687,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $83,821,522.52. The trade was a 1.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total transaction of $1,214,600.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 108,294 shares in the company, valued at $13,153,389.24. This trade represents a 8.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 167,190 shares of company stock worth $20,975,838. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

More Walmart News

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

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $134.20 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $1.07 trillion, a PE ratio of 48.98, a PEG ratio of 4.93 and a beta of 0.65. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $126.78 and a 200 day moving average of $119.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $93.43 and a 12 month high of $135.16.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion for 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 business’s revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period 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. On average, research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 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. 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 0.7%. Walmart’s payout ratio is 36.13%.

Walmart 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.