Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Sells 58,097 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. reduced its stake in Walmart Inc. by 16.7%, selling 58,097 shares during the first quarter, which now represents 1.0% of its investment portfolio.
• Several hedge funds have increased their holdings in Walmart, with Goldman Sachs growing its stake by 30.1% in the same period.
• Walmart's most recent earnings report showed an EPS of $0.68, missing analysts' expectations, while the firm guided for Q3 2026 EPS of 0.580-0.600.

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. cut its stake in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 16.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 290,246 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 58,097 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for about 1.0% of Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $25,481,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Walmart by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 425,961,042 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $37,395,120,000 after buying an additional 3,224,154 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 30.1% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 33,292,749 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,922,770,000 after acquiring an additional 7,706,201 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.3% in the first quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 30,874,987 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,710,665,000 after acquiring an additional 387,424 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC increased its position in Walmart by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 29,843,892 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,696,396,000 after acquiring an additional 233,040 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 2.9% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 29,188,142 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $2,562,427,000 after acquiring an additional 823,020 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on WMT. Wall Street Zen raised Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $106.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Mizuho restated an "outperform" rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Tigress Financial upped their target price on shares of Walmart from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Finally, Evercore ISI reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $110.00 price target (up from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, August 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $110.76.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.55, for a total value of $1,293,468.75. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 919,189 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $90,586,075.95. The trade was a 1.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,655 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.38, for a total transaction of $166,128.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 647,578 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $65,003,879.64. This trade represents a 0.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 121,382 shares of company stock worth $11,718,441 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Walmart Price Performance

NYSE WMT opened at $100.45 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $76.30 and a 12 month high of $105.30. The stock has a market cap of $800.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.76, a PEG ratio of 4.83 and a beta of 0.65. The company's 50 day moving average is $98.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $95.17.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 21st. The retailer reported $0.68 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $169.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $174.02 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.08% and a return on equity of 21.45%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.67 EPS. Walmart has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.580-0.600 EPS. FY 2026 guidance at 2.520-2.620 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Profile

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, other units, and eCommerce worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club. It operates supercenters, supermarkets, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs, cash and carry stores, and discount stores under Walmart and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands; membership-only warehouse clubs; ecommerce websites, such as walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, PhonePe and other sites; and mobile commerce applications.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.