Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Raises Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its Walmart stake by 3.7% in the fourth quarter, buying 99,837 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 2.78 million shares worth about $309.7 million.
• Several other institutional investors also added to their Walmart positions, and the stock remains widely held by hedge funds and other institutions, which own about 26.76% of the company.
• Analysts remain bullish on Walmart, with multiple firms raising price targets and the consensus rating sitting at Buy; the average target price is $138.67, above the recent opening price of $132.46.

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 3.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,779,559 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 99,837 shares during the quarter. Walmart makes up approximately 0.5% of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans' investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans' holdings in Walmart were worth $309,722,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Walmart by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,561 shares of the retailer's stock worth $285,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Capstone Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Capstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,955 shares of the retailer's stock worth $552,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Ellenbecker Investment Group increased its position in shares of Walmart by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Ellenbecker Investment Group now owns 14,475 shares of the retailer's stock worth $1,613,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Matrix Trust Co increased its position in shares of Walmart by 20.0% during the fourth quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 547 shares of the retailer's stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HRC Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Walmart by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. HRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,209 shares of the retailer's stock worth $246,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.96, for a total value of $1,600,725.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 687,287 shares of the company's stock, valued at $83,821,522.52. This represents a 1.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total value of $4,158,004.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 533,466 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,082,852. This trade represents a 6.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 167,195 shares of company stock worth $20,975,804. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UBS and other analysts expect Walmart to post a strong Q1, with sales growth and profit trends likely supporting another earnings beat. Walmart to Post Strong Q1, Extending Retail Lead on Sales Growth, UBS Says
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s earnings history and current setup suggest it could exceed expectations again, which is supporting bullish sentiment into the report. Walmart (WMT) Earnings Expected to Grow: What to Know Ahead of Next Week's Release
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart continues to attract bullish technical and style-score commentary, with multiple outlets calling it a long-term momentum name. Why Walmart (WMT) is a Top Momentum Stock for the Long-Term
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that grocery and restaurant prices are rising may support Walmart’s value proposition and traffic, since consumers often trade down to lower-cost retailers during inflationary periods. Grocery and Restaurant Prices Post Biggest Jump Since 2022
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is cutting or relocating about 1,000 corporate jobs as part of a broader restructuring and tech-focused operating simplification. The move could improve efficiency over time, but it also signals ongoing internal change. Walmart cutting or relocating about 1,000 corporate jobs
• Neutral Sentiment: Several recent articles highlighted continued restructuring and AI/technology investment, which may help long-term competitiveness but does not change the near-term earnings outlook by itself. Walmart Cuts Hundreds Of Corporate Jobs As AI-Driven Efficiency Push Accelerates: Report

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on WMT shares. Guggenheim boosted their price target on Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. BTIG Research boosted their price objective on Walmart from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $150.00 price objective on Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Erste Group Bank raised Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $147.00 price objective (up from $135.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $138.67.

Walmart Stock Performance

NASDAQ WMT opened at $132.46 on Friday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $126.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $119.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.06 trillion, a P/E ratio of 48.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.79. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $91.89 and a fifty-two week high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.44% and a net margin of 3.07%.The business had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.66 EPS. The company's quarterly 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. On average, research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid a $0.2475 dividend. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. Walmart's dividend payout ratio is 36.13%.

About Walmart

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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