Norges Bank Purchases New Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Norges Bank opened a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter, buying 57.97 million shares valued at about $6.46 billion. The stake makes Walmart Norges Bank’s 16th largest holding and represents roughly 0.73% of Walmart.
• Walmart continues to attract institutional interest, with several hedge funds also adding to or starting positions in the retailer. Institutional investors and hedge funds now own about 26.76% of the stock.
• Recent sentiment is mixed: analysts maintain a Moderate Buy consensus with a target price of $138.85, but insider selling and executive departures during a leadership transition may pressure investor confidence.

Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 57,970,822 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $6,458,529,000. Walmart accounts for about 0.7% of Norges Bank's holdings, making the stock its 16th largest position. Norges Bank owned approximately 0.73% of Walmart as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Madison Wealth Partners Inc acquired a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $304,000. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC increased its position in Walmart by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC now owns 13,197 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,470,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Hilltop Partners LLC increased its position in Walmart by 13.5% in the 4th quarter. Hilltop Partners LLC now owns 23,997 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,674,000 after purchasing an additional 2,853 shares during the last quarter. Eurizon SLJ Capital Ltd acquired a new position in Walmart in the 4th quarter worth about $809,000. Finally, Coyle Financial Counsel LLC increased its position in Walmart by 10.5% in the 4th quarter. Coyle Financial Counsel LLC now owns 4,349 shares of the retailer's stock worth $485,000 after purchasing an additional 412 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sam’s Club reported strong member engagement, with its Member’s Mark community topping 150,000 participants, highlighting growth in Walmart’s warehouse-club business and its ability to build loyalty around private-label products. Sam’s Club’s Member’s Mark Community Surges to Over 150000 Participants
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary from market watchers suggested Walmart’s recent pullback could be a buying opportunity, with analysts still pointing to meaningful upside versus current trading levels. Why the Walmart Dip Is the Best Buying Opportunity of 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart was highlighted in a value-comparison piece versus Kroger, reinforcing ongoing investor interest in the stock as a defensive retail name rather than signaling a clear catalyst. KR vs. WMT Which Stock Is the Better Value Option
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart’s name came up in broader coverage about slower consumer spending and inflation, which may support its value-oriented positioning but also underscores a cautious macro backdrop. Amazon and Walmart Turn to Platform Economics as Consumer Spending Slows
• Negative Sentiment: Reports of executive departures during Walmart’s leadership transition may raise concerns about stability as the company prepares for a CEO change. Walmart Faces Executive Departures Amid Leadership Transition
• Negative Sentiment: Two senior insiders sold shares, including EVP Latriece Watkins and Director C. Douglas McMillon, which can weigh on sentiment even though McMillon’s sale was made under a pre-arranged trading plan. Insider trade: Latriece Watkins Insider trade: C Douglas Mcmillon

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.08, for a total transaction of $1,628,550.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 661,037 shares in the company, valued at approximately $82,021,470.96. This represents a 1.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.92, for a total value of $359,368.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 577,853 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $71,607,543.76. This trade represents a 0.50% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 137,008 shares of company stock worth $17,048,504 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on WMT. HSBC lowered Walmart from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $122.00 to $131.00 in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Truist Financial set a $140.00 target price on Walmart in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Craig Hallum set a $150.00 target price on Walmart in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $147.00 target price (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Two equities 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 data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $138.85.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT opened at $115.75 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $922.64 billion, a PE ratio of 40.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.44 and a beta of 0.65. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $126.11 and a 200-day moving average of $120.61. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $93.43 and a 52-week high of $135.15. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The retailer reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.66. The company had revenue of $177.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $174.84 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.25% and a net margin of 3.13%.The firm's revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $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. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.

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