State of Michigan Retirement System Lowers Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• State of Michigan Retirement System trimmed its Walmart stake by 1.1% in Q4, selling 12,700 shares; it now holds 1,174,420 shares worth about $130.84 million, roughly 0.6% of its portfolio and Walmart's 24th largest position.
• Insider sales continued: two EVPs sold shares under Rule 10b5‑1 plans and insiders have offloaded 263,376 shares (~$32.85 million) over the past 90 days, leaving insiders with just 0.10% ownership.
• Walmart beat Q4 EPS and revenue estimates and set FY 2027 guidance of $2.75–$2.85 EPS, but trades at a premium (P/E ~46.6) with shares down ~1.8%; analysts’ consensus is a Buy with an average price target of about $137.79.

State of Michigan Retirement System reduced its stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 1.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,174,420 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 12,700 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up approximately 0.6% of State of Michigan Retirement System's investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position. State of Michigan Retirement System's holdings in Walmart were worth $130,842,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 28.8% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $8,868,000 after buying an additional 21,939 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $800,000 after buying an additional 485 shares during the period. Peterson Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.5% during the first quarter. Peterson Wealth Management now owns 50,307 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $4,416,000 after buying an additional 1,715 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.9% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 13,008 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,272,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the period. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.2% during the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 91,341 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $8,931,000 after buying an additional 1,048 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,335 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.63, for a total transaction of $166,381.05. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 636,843 shares in the company, valued at $79,369,743.09. This represents a 0.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 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 on Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.72, for a total value of $361,688.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 596,008 shares of the company's stock, valued at $74,334,117.76. This trade represents a 0.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 263,376 shares of company stock worth $32,851,650 over the last ninety days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts note Walmart’s earnings mix is shifting toward higher‑margin streams—advertising, memberships and e‑commerce—which helped Q4 profits outpace sales and could support margin resiliency going forward. Walmart Builds Diversified Profit Streams
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart Connect expanded CTV advertising tools (Connect Select marketplace + more partner integrations), a product push that can accelerate ad revenue growth by making streaming buys easier for mid‑sized advertisers. This reinforces the company’s strategy to diversify revenue beyond retail sales. Walmart Simplifies Streaming Ads for Mid-Sized Business
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart launched an exclusive U.S. partnership to roll out ARIH, a BTS‑linked food & beverage brand, across stores and online—a targeted merchandising play to attract younger, culturally engaged shoppers and drive store and e‑commerce traffic. Walmart Bets On BTS ARIH Brand To Refresh Omni Channel Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Retail investor commentary places WMT among “best quality” dividend stocks on Reddit compilations—highlighting Walmart’s scale, dividend yield and steady cash flow as supportive of long‑term investor interest. (Coverage appeared across retail finance sites.) Is Walmart (WMT) One of the Best Quality Dividend Stocks to Buy According to Reddit?
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the operational positives, WMT shares sold off today while the broader market advanced; media coverage highlighted the drop, which may reflect short‑term profit‑taking, valuation concerns (WMT’s premium P/E) or rotation away from defensive/retail names. Walmart (WMT) Stock Drops Despite Market Gains: Important Facts to Note

Walmart Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $127.59 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.02 trillion, a P/E ratio of 46.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.84 and a beta of 0.66. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $91.89 and a 1-year high of $134.69. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $125.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $117.21.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.66 EPS. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the topic of several research reports. Tigress Financial set a $150.00 price target on Walmart and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating and set a $145.00 price target (up from $136.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Mizuho raised their price target on Walmart from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating and set a $134.00 price target (up from $129.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Argus upgraded Walmart to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $137.79.

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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