North Dakota State Investment Board Purchases Shares of 149,175 Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• North Dakota State Investment Board initiated a new position in Walmart during the fourth quarter, buying 149,175 shares valued at about $16.6 million. The stake makes Walmart roughly 0.6% of the fund’s portfolio and its 21st-largest holding.
• Walmart reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $0.74 versus $0.73 expected and revenue of $190.66 billion versus $188.37 billion expected. Revenue rose 5.6% year over year, and the company reiterated guidance for FY 2027.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on WMT, with multiple firms raising price targets and the stock carrying a “Buy” consensus and average target of $138.88. Meanwhile, insiders have been selling shares, including recent sales by an EVP and a director.

North Dakota State Investment Board acquired a new position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 149,175 shares of the retailer's stock, valued at approximately $16,620,000. Walmart makes up about 0.6% of North Dakota State Investment Board's investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Walmart by 28.8% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $8,868,000 after purchasing an additional 21,939 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in Walmart by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer's stock worth $800,000 after acquiring an additional 485 shares in the last quarter. Peterson Wealth Management raised its position in Walmart by 3.5% during the first quarter. Peterson Wealth Management now owns 50,307 shares of the retailer's stock worth $4,416,000 after acquiring an additional 1,715 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Walmart by 0.9% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 13,008 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,272,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its position in Walmart by 1.2% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 91,341 shares of the retailer's stock worth $8,931,000 after acquiring an additional 1,048 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $131.45 on Monday. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $93.43 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 50-day simple moving average of $126.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $119.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.05 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.85 and a beta of 0.65.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The business had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.66 EPS. The business's revenue 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. Analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid a $0.2475 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Walmart's payout ratio is 36.13%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,335 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.63, for a total value of $166,381.05. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 636,843 shares in the company, valued at $79,369,743.09. The trade was a 0.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, 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 transaction of $2,566,989.36. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,193,995 shares of the company's stock, valued at $554,488,078.95. This trade represents a 0.46% 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 167,195 shares of company stock worth $20,975,804. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on WMT shares. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $145.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Tigress Financial set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Oppenheimer reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $140.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Walmart has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $138.88.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UBS and other analysts expect Walmart to deliver another strong quarter, helped by resilient grocery demand, e-commerce growth, and advertising momentum, which could support the stock if results meet or exceed expectations.
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America said Walmart’s consistent sales growth should be rewarded by the market, reinforcing the view that WMT remains a defensive growth name ahead of earnings.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary also highlights Walmart as a long-term growth and momentum stock, with investors continuing to search for the name ahead of the report.
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart said it will host its first-quarter earnings conference call on May 21, keeping attention focused on upcoming results and guidance rather than any new business update. Walmart To Host First Quarter Earnings Conference Call May 21, 2026
• Negative Sentiment: One bearish analysis argued that expectations may be too high versus Walmart’s own guidance, warning that reported sales growth may not be enough to justify a further move higher and that investors may want to trim positions.

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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