National Pension Service Increases Stock Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• National Pension Service increased its Walmart stake by 7.1% in Q4, adding 651,720 shares and bringing its total to 9.81 million shares worth about $1.09 billion.
• Several other institutional investors also boosted or initiated positions in Walmart, and 26.76% of the stock is now owned by hedge funds and other institutions.
• Wall Street remains bullish overall: analysts have a Moderate Buy consensus on Walmart with an average price target of $138.71, while the stock recently opened at $118.90 after a solid earnings report that topped revenue estimates.

National Pension Service lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 7.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,812,461 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 651,720 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for about 0.8% of National Pension Service's holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest position. National Pension Service owned approximately 0.12% of Walmart worth $1,093,304,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $292,000. SBI Okasan Asset Management Co.Ltd. purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $1,688,000. Moors & Cabot Inc. grew its position in Walmart by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 266,030 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $29,638,000 after buying an additional 2,463 shares during the last quarter. Houlihan Financial Resource Group Ltd. grew its position in Walmart by 135.6% in the 4th quarter. Houlihan Financial Resource Group Ltd. now owns 6,515 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $747,000 after buying an additional 3,750 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Latko Wealth Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter valued at $200,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 27th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $150.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $137.00 price objective (down from $140.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, DA Davidson set a $150.00 target price on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $138.71.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $118.90 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $947.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.72, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 0.65. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $93.43 and a one year high of $135.15. The company's fifty day moving average is $126.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $120.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a current ratio of 0.77.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.66. The company 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 business's revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $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. Analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.21, for a total transaction of $2,566,989.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,193,995 shares of the company's stock, valued at $554,488,078.95. The trade was a 0.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,335 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.63, for a total value of $166,381.05. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 636,843 shares of the company's stock, valued at $79,369,743.09. This trade represents a 0.21% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 106,592 shares of company stock worth $13,436,513. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Walmart News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its price target on Walmart to $150 from $145 and kept a Buy rating, citing continued strength in grocery traffic and resilient demand. TD Cowen Boosts Target on Walmart (WMT) Amid Strong Grocery Traffic
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s Sam’s Club business said its Member’s Mark community has grown to more than 150,000 participants, reinforcing customer engagement and supporting private-label product development. Sam’s Club's Member's Mark™ Community Surges to Over 150000 Participants
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary from Jim Cramer and other bullish coverage continues to frame Walmart as a defensive winner, with investors seeing the recent weakness as a potential buying opportunity. Jim Cramer Reveals Why He’d Buy Walmart (WMT)
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage comparing Walmart with Target and other retailers highlighted Walmart’s 26% global e-commerce growth and improving higher-margin businesses, but it was more of an industry comparison than a direct catalyst. Target vs. Walmart: Which Retail Stock Is the Better Buy After Earnings?
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports that Walmart may be preparing for price increases and navigating tariff-related inflation pressures point to ongoing margin management, but the impact is uncertain. Walmart signals potential price increases as food producers focus on margins (WMT)
• Negative Sentiment: Several pieces focused on slower consumer spending, delayed discretionary purchases, and Walmart’s stock trading well below recent highs, which may be weighing on sentiment despite the company’s defensive profile. Amazon and Walmart Turn to Platform Economics as Consumer Spending Slows
• Negative Sentiment: Short-interest-related reporting and “in the red zone” commentary suggest some traders remain cautious on Walmart in the near term, even though the short-interest data itself appears inconsistent. Walmart tries cost-cutting supply chain model as stock stays in red zone

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.