Investment Management Corp of Ontario Purchases 150,985 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Investment Management Corp of Ontario boosted its Walmart stake by 59.1% in the fourth quarter, buying 150,985 more shares and bringing its total to 406,494 shares valued at about $45.3 million.
• Several other major institutions also increased their Walmart holdings, including Vanguard, State Street, Geode Capital, Norges Bank, and Fisher Asset Management, underscoring broad institutional interest in the stock.
• Analysts remain generally positive on Walmart, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $138.85, while the company recently reported revenue and EPS that matched or beat expectations.

Investment Management Corp of Ontario lifted its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 59.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 406,494 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 150,985 shares during the period. Walmart comprises 0.6% of Investment Management Corp of Ontario's holdings, making the stock its 21st largest position. Investment Management Corp of Ontario's holdings in Walmart were worth $45,287,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Walmart by 1.0% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Walmart by 1.2% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 6.8% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $6,458,529,000. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 0.8% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $137.00 target price (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $137.00 target price (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Truist Financial set a $140.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $145.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Freedom Capital raised shares of Walmart from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $138.85.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $118.13 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $940.09 billion, a PE ratio of 41.45, a PEG ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 0.59. 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 Inc. has a 1-year low of $94.09 and a 1-year high of $135.15. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $124.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $122.03.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66. Walmart had a net margin of 3.13% and a return on equity of 21.25%. The company had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.61 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q2 2027 guidance at 0.720-0.740 EPS. Research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is being highlighted by analysts as one of the best large-cap S&P 500 stocks to buy, reflecting continued confidence in its scale, defensive business model, and long-term earnings power. Walmart (WMT) – Among the 14 Best S&P 500 Stocks to Buy Now According to Analysts
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s advertising and retail media revenue is surging as marketplace growth and seller spending increase, supporting a higher-margin growth engine beyond traditional retail sales. Walmart's Advertising Revenues Soar: Is Retail Media Paying Off?
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is expanding its delivery offering by adding Subway meals delivery, reinforcing its convenience strategy and broadening customer traffic and online order opportunities. Walmart Inc (WMT) Adds Subway Meals Delivery. Get the Bigger Picture
• Neutral Sentiment: A recent article argues Walmart’s 9.2% pullback may be tied to fuel costs and consumer pressure, but says strong e-commerce, marketplace, and higher-margin growth keep the investment case intact. How to Play Walmart Stock After Its Recent 9.2% Pullback?
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,385 shares in a pre-arranged 10b5-1 transaction, a modest insider sale that can add to near-term investor caution even though it was not an open-market surprise. SEC Form 4 - Daniel J. Bartlett

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 11,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.97, for a total value of $1,308,670.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 120,203 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,300,550.91. This represents a 8.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.92, for a total transaction of $359,368.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 577,853 shares of the company's stock, valued at $71,607,543.76. This represents a 0.50% 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 117,246 shares of company stock worth $14,493,147. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

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.

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