State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D Reduces Stock Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D trimmed its Walmart stake by 2.1% in Q4, selling 32,024 shares and now holds 1,514,608 shares worth about $168.74 million (≈0.6% of the fund and Walmart's 22nd largest holding).
• Walmart posted a slight EPS beat ($0.74 vs. $0.73) and $190.66B in revenue, set FY2027 guidance of $2.75–$2.85, and carries a consensus Buy rating with a $137.79 price target and a $1.05 trillion market cap.
• Insiders have been net sellers (263,376 shares, ~$32.85M in the past 90 days) while the company is making major investments—like a new milk processing facility and leadership pay changes—that could improve execution long term but weigh on near‑term margins and cash flow.

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D cut its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 2.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,514,608 shares of the retailer's stock after selling 32,024 shares during the period. Walmart makes up about 0.6% of State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D's holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D's holdings in Walmart were worth $168,742,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Walmart in the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC grew its position in Walmart by 193.0% in the fourth quarter. Clayton Financial Group LLC now owns 293 shares of the retailer's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Stock Up 3.1%

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $131.93 on Friday. 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 stock's fifty day moving average is $125.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $117.56. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $91.89 and a 52 week high of $134.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.05 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.77 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 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $188.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.66 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 EPS for the current 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 paid a dividend of $0.2475 per share. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is 36.13%.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Large supply‑chain investment — Walmart opened its third owned milk processing facility (Robinson, TX) and is investing in milk capacity to strengthen domestic supply, lower costs and secure private‑label supply chains, which supports margin and product availability. Walmart Opens Third Owned and Operated Milk Processing Facility in Robinson, Texas, Creating More Than 400 New Jobs Walmart invests in new milk plant to grow US supply chain
• Positive Sentiment: Leadership redesign aimed at retention and execution — Walmart is eliminating the "store lead" role while expanding higher‑paid managerial positions to keep senior managers longer and accelerate store execution and merchandising (including a fashion push). Investors view this as a move to improve in‑store performance and strategic initiatives. Walmart redesigns its leadership pipeline as managers making $400K stay for longer
• Positive Sentiment: Local assortment strategy — Walmart is expanding local products in select markets to better match tightened consumer budgets and preferences, a tactical move that can drive traffic and margins in price‑sensitive areas. Walmart Eyes Local Products as National Consumer Mood Sours
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying — Alecta Pensionsforsakring increased its Walmart stake, a signal of confidence from a large investor that can support the stock. Alecta Pensionsforsakring Boosts Walmart Stake by 406,400 Shares
• Neutral Sentiment: Local store capital projects — Walmart is earmarking millions for upgrades at multiple Arizona stores; store refreshes can boost sales but also represent near‑term capital spend. Walmart earmarks millions for multiple Arizona store upgrades
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and media bullish coverage — Several pieces summarize bullish theses on WMT and recommend the stock as retail sentiment improves; these articles can reinforce positive investor sentiment but are not new company actions. Is Walmart Inc. (WMT) A Good Stock To Buy Now? Is Walmart Inc. (WMT) A Good Stock To Buy Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate social impact — Walmart’s Acres for America grants were announced; positive for ESG profile but unlikely to move near‑term fundamentals. NFWF Announces $5.4 Million in Grants from Walmart's Acres for America Program
• Negative Sentiment: Cost and near‑term margin risk — The combination of higher‑paid manager roles and heavy capital/supply‑chain investments (e.g., $350M+ milk facilities) could weigh on near‑term margins and free cash flow before benefits are realized. Walmart eliminates store lead positions as managers making $400K stay for longer

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.27, for a total transaction of $2,445,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 506,764 shares in the company, valued at $61,962,034.28. This represents a 3.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total value of $4,158,004.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 533,466 shares in the company, valued at $65,082,852. This trade represents a 6.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 263,376 shares of company stock valued at $32,851,650 over the last ninety days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Tigress Financial set a $150.00 price objective on Walmart and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price objective on Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Mizuho increased their price objective on Walmart from $125.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $137.79.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.