Canal Insurance CO Trims Stock Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Canal Insurance CO lowered its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 47.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 55,000 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 50,000 shares during the period. Walmart comprises about 1.5% of Canal Insurance CO’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Canal Insurance CO’s holdings in Walmart were worth $6,128,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Collier Financial purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC raised 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 during the last quarter. 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 recent research reports. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $147.00 price objective (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and set a $140.00 target price (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $140.00 target price (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Roth Mkm restated a “buy” rating and set a $138.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $138.09.

Walmart News Roundup

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $126.71, for a total transaction of $2,460,201.36. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,023,209 shares in the company, valued at $509,780,812.39. The trade was a 0.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 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 value of $1,600,725.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 687,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $83,821,522.52. This represents a 1.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 167,195 shares of company stock worth $20,975,804. 0.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $130.20 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $125.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $118.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.04 trillion, a PE ratio of 47.52, a P/E/G ratio of 4.85 and a beta of 0.65. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $91.89 and a 1 year high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The business’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $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 research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share 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 dividend of $0.2475 per share. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s payout ratio is currently 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.