Franklin Resources Inc. Buys 920,969 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Franklin Resources increased its Walmart stake by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, buying 920,969 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 36.8 million shares worth about $4.1 billion.
• Several other major institutional investors also boosted their positions in Walmart, including Vanguard, State Street, Geode Capital, and Norges Bank, signaling broad institutional confidence in the retailer.
• Walmart continues to draw positive attention from analysts and the market, with a consensus Moderate Buy rating and a $138.85 price target, while recent business updates highlighted strong earnings, expanded delivery options, and heavy call-option buying.

Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 36,820,550 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 920,969 shares during the period. Walmart makes up 1.0% of Franklin Resources Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 0.46% of Walmart worth $4,102,546,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Walmart by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer's stock worth $49,015,626,000 after purchasing an additional 4,304,436 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. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Walmart by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer's stock worth $11,426,753,000 after purchasing an additional 6,517,394 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $6,458,529,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in Walmart by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,626,852 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,526,238,000 after purchasing an additional 328,229 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart saw unusually heavy call-option buying, with traders purchasing 174,648 calls, about 43% above average volume. That suggests some investors are betting on a rebound or near-term upside.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart expanded its delivery business by adding Subway meals to its Express Delivery offering, allowing customers to order freshly made food through the Walmart app or website and receive it in as little as 30 minutes. The move could help Walmart boost order frequency, strengthen its convenience proposition, and take a larger share of meal budgets. Walmart Adds Express Delivery From In-Store Restaurants, Starting With Subway®
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholders backed Walmart’s 2026 annual meeting results, and management highlighted strong FY26 performance and its omnichannel model, reinforcing confidence in the company’s growth strategy. Walmart Announces 2026 Annual Shareholders' Meeting Voting Results

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on WMT. Argus upgraded shares of Walmart to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. HSBC cut shares of Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $122.00 to $131.00 in a research report on Friday, February 20th. KeyCorp reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Truist Financial set a $140.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $138.85.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT stock opened at $118.88 on Monday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $125.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $121.20. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $93.43 and a 12-month high of $135.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $946.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.71, a PEG ratio of 4.44 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.61 EPS. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.63, for a total transaction of $2,303,320.08. Following the sale, the director owned 4,174,579 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $495,230,306.77. The trade was a 0.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.92, for a total transaction of $359,368.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 577,853 shares in the company, valued at $71,607,543.76. The trade was a 0.50% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 117,008 shares of company stock worth $14,492,704. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Walmart Company 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.

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