Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Buys 502,206 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund increased its Walmart stake by 273.5% in the fourth quarter, buying 502,206 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 685,860 shares worth about $76.4 million.
• Several other major institutional investors also boosted their positions in Walmart, including Vanguard, State Street, Geode Capital, and Norges Bank, highlighting continued strong institutional interest in the stock.
• Walmart’s recent earnings beat revenue expectations and matched EPS estimates, while analysts remain generally upbeat with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $138.85.

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 273.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 685,860 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 502,206 shares during the quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund's holdings in Walmart were worth $76,412,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Walmart by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $49,015,626,000 after buying an additional 4,304,436 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its position in Walmart by 1.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 184,805,978 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $19,046,104,000 after buying an additional 2,242,364 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Walmart by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 103,010,709 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $11,426,753,000 after buying an additional 6,517,394 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter valued at about $6,458,529,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in Walmart by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,626,852 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,526,238,000 after buying an additional 328,229 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.92, for a total value of $359,368.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 577,853 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $71,607,543.76. This represents a 0.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP David W. Guggina sold 11,978 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.82, for a total transaction of $1,435,203.96. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 125,067 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,985,527.94. The trade was a 8.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 128,986 shares of company stock valued at $15,927,908. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on WMT. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 27th. They set a "buy" rating and a $150.00 price target for the company. Craig Hallum set a $150.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Truist Financial set a $140.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 target price (up from $145.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $138.85.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $121.04 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $963.25 billion, a PE ratio of 42.47, a P/E/G ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 0.60. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $93.62 and a twelve month high of $135.15. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $125.28 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $121.78.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66. The firm had revenue of $177.75 billion during 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 quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.61 earnings per share. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

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.

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