Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. Buys 19,650 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Nippon Life Global Investors Americas increased its stake in Walmart by 5.5% in Q4, buying 19,650 shares to hold 379,690 shares worth $42.38 million, making WMT its 16th-largest holding (about 1.8% of its portfolio).
• Analysts are broadly bullish on Walmart with an average rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $137.79, as several firms raised targets (e.g., Citigroup $147, BTIG $140, Truist $139) and Erste upgraded to strong‑buy.
• Insiders have been net sellers recently, offloading 263,376 shares (~$32.85M) in the last 90 days, including notable sales by director C. Douglas McMillon (19,416 shares) and CEO John R. Furner (13,125 shares).

Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc. lifted its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 5.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 379,690 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 19,650 shares during the period. Walmart makes up about 1.8% of Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Nippon Life Global Investors Americas Inc.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $42,382,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,561 shares of the retailer's stock worth $285,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the period. Capstone Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Capstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,955 shares of the retailer's stock worth $552,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the period. Matrix Trust Co boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 20.0% in the fourth quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 547 shares of the retailer's stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. HRC Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. HRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,209 shares of the retailer's stock worth $246,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 1,672 shares of the retailer's stock worth $186,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $147.00 price target (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $125.00 price target (up from $108.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Erste Group Bank upgraded Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $140.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price objective on Walmart from $127.00 to $139.00 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 have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $137.79.

Walmart News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is overhauling store leadership roles by eliminating the store lead title and converting those employees into manager/coach roles with a pathway to much higher pay (reports highlight potential salaries up to $400K). Management says this is aimed at boosting store execution and retention — a potential long‑term benefit to sales and customer experience, though it could raise payroll costs in some markets. Walmart is changing its roadmap to $400K store managerial role
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart Connect expanded its CTV/streaming ad capabilities with a curated marketplace (Connect Select) and more partner integrations, making it easier for mid‑sized advertisers to buy streaming inventory — this supports faster growth in higher‑margin advertising revenue. Walmart Simplifies Streaming Ads for Mid-Sized Business
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts note Walmart’s earnings mix is diversifying: Q4 profits benefited from ads, memberships and e‑commerce gains, which can strengthen resilience vs. pure retail sales — a positive structural shift for margins and recurring revenue. Walmart Builds Diversified Profit Streams: Is Resilience Strengthening?
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart added the NBPure MagO7 60‑count product to store shelves, expanding health & wellness assortment and incremental category sales — a small but positive merchandising win. NBPure Launches Exclusive MagO7 60-Count at Walmart
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart appears on retail and social lists as a top dividend/quality stock (Reddit/financial blogs)—positive PR but not a material operational driver. Is Walmart (WMT) One of the Best Quality Dividend Stocks to Buy According to Reddit?
• Negative Sentiment: Shares have pulled back recently (reported decline on the latest close), suggesting investors are weighing the company’s valuation (elevated P/E and PEG relative to historical averages) and near‑term margin risk from any higher labor costs or softer traffic. Walmart (WMT) Stock Drops Despite Market Gains: Important Facts to Note

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ WMT opened at $127.59 on Wednesday. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $125.43 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $117.39. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $91.89 and a twelve month high of $134.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The company has a market capitalization of $1.02 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.57, a PEG ratio of 4.75 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The business had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.66 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $0.2475 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In other news, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.21, for a total value of $2,566,989.36. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,193,995 shares in the company, valued at approximately $554,488,078.95. The trade was a 0.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.84, for a total value of $1,638,525.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 674,162 shares in the company, valued at approximately $84,162,384.08. This represents a 1.91% 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 263,376 shares of company stock valued at $32,851,650. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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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