Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Boosts Stock Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in Walmart by 3.3%, now holding 821,816 shares valued at approximately $72 million.
• Multiple hedge funds have also significantly boosted their positions in Walmart, with one firm reporting an increase of 319.7% during the same quarter.
• Walmart recently missed earnings expectations, reporting $0.68 EPS against a consensus estimate of $0.74, but analysts maintain a generally optimistic outlook with several 'Buy' ratings and a price target range of $106 to $118.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 3.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 821,816 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 26,318 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $72,147,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WMT. Operose Advisors LLC boosted its position in Walmart by 319.7% in the first quarter. Operose Advisors LLC now owns 319 shares of the retailer's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. boosted its position in Walmart by 98.2% in the first quarter. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. now owns 337 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd boosted its position in Walmart by 432.4% in the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 362 shares of the retailer's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares during the last quarter. EQ Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the first quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Lipe & Dalton boosted its position in Walmart by 95.2% in the first quarter. Lipe & Dalton now owns 410 shares of the retailer's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on WMT shares. Mizuho reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Guggenheim restated a "buy" rating and issued a $115.00 target price (up from $112.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their target price on Walmart from $115.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $106.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their target price on Walmart from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-nine have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $110.07.

Walmart Stock Performance

NYSE:WMT opened at $96.8190 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.22 and a current ratio of 0.79. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $75.01 and a 52-week high of $105.30. The firm has a market cap of $772.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.40, a PEG ratio of 4.70 and a beta of 0.66. The business's fifty day moving average is $97.99 and its 200 day moving average is $95.58.

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

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.235 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 90.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. Walmart's payout ratio is presently 35.34%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Walmart news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.14, for a total value of $1,248,712.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 932,313 shares in the company, valued at $88,700,258.82. This represents a 1.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.24, for a total value of $380,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,060,455 shares in the company, valued at $100,997,734.20. This represents a 0.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 88,841 shares of company stock valued at $8,565,205 over the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Walmart

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.

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