Kanawha Capital Management LLC Boosts Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Kanawha Capital Management LLC raised its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 10.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 70,244 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,476 shares during the quarter. Kanawha Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $7,826,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Walmart by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 435,652,710 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $44,898,368,000 after purchasing an additional 3,835,200 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its position in Walmart by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $19,046,104,000 after purchasing an additional 2,242,364 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position 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 purchasing an additional 634,211 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc raised its position in Walmart by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 27,268,463 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,810,288,000 after purchasing an additional 934,468 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its position in Walmart by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 24,990,692 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,575,541,000 after purchasing an additional 93,459 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $132.03 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.05 trillion, a PE ratio of 48.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.84 and a beta of 0.66. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $125.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $116.64. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $91.89 and a one year high of $134.69. 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 issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last 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 analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.2475 per share. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.13%.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart filed its 2026 Annual Report and proxy; CEO John Furner’s first shareholder letter emphasizes confidence in the business model and investments in associates and AI-powered solutions — signals management is prioritizing productivity and tech-driven growth. Walmart Releases 2026 Annual Report and Proxy Statement
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target to $140 and kept an “overweight” rating, offering fresh analyst validation and upside versus current levels — a direct catalyst for buy-side flows. Morgan Stanley raises price target
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart launched “Upstream Facility Services,” expanding into maintenance services for businesses — a diversification move that creates higher-margin, recurring B2B revenue beyond core retail. Walmart Inc. (WMT) Diversifies Beyond Retail Into Maintenance Services
• Positive Sentiment: Sam’s Club introduced a one-hour express delivery option for members, tightening competition with Costco and improving value for members — an operational win that can drive higher same-club sales and membership retention. Walmart’s warehouse club ups the pressure on Costco
• Positive Sentiment: Consensus analyst rating sits at “Buy,” reflecting broad sell?side confidence which supports demand for the shares. Walmart Given Consensus Rating of “Buy”
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces highlight Walmart’s strategic push into the “decision layer” (competing with Amazon on AI-driven choice architecture) — underscores longer-term tech competition but is not an immediate earnings swing. Amazon and Walmart Race to Capture Retail’s Decision Layer First
• Neutral Sentiment: Partnerships like the Back to the Roots retail program are PR/CSR positives that help merchandising and sustainability narratives but have limited near-term revenue impact. Back to the Roots Scales Regenerative Movement Nationwide
• Negative Sentiment: Industry commentary noting Visa’s faster market?cap growth versus Walmart highlights relative-growth concerns and investor preference for payments/tech growth stories over traditional retail — a competitive narrative that can cap valuation multiples. One Year Later: We Predicted Visa Would Overtake Walmart

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 687,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $83,821,522.52. This trade represents a 1.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total transaction of $4,158,004.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 533,466 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,082,852. This represents a 6.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 243,960 shares of company stock valued at $30,284,661. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on WMT shares. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $125.00 price objective (up from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $150.00 target price on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $137.79.

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.