VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Acquires 929,400 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Key Points

• Virginia Retirement Systems ET Al boosted its Walmart stake by 246.3% in the fourth quarter, buying 929,400 additional shares and bringing its total to 1,306,726 shares worth about $145.6 million.
• Several other institutional investors also added to their Walmart positions, and 26.76% of the stock is held by institutional investors, indicating continued large-scale interest in the retailer.
• Walmart has a generally positive Wall Street outlook, with analysts assigning an average Buy rating and a consensus price target of $138.67, while recent earnings topped expectations and revenue rose 5.6% year over year.

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al increased its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 246.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,306,726 shares of the retailer's stock after buying an additional 929,400 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for about 0.9% of VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al's holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al's holdings in Walmart were worth $145,582,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Walmart by 3.5% in the 4th 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 holdings in Walmart by 1.8% in the 4th 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 holdings in Walmart by 0.6% in the 4th 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 holdings in Walmart by 20.0% in the 4th 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 holdings in Walmart by 4.4% in the 4th 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 institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s continued investment in e-commerce, AI-enabled automation, fintech and supply-chain control is reinforcing the company’s “tech-enabled retailer” narrative, which can support higher investor confidence in future growth. How Walmart’s Dairy Push and Brand Partnerships At Walmart (WMT) Has Changed Its Investment Story
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s brand partnerships and expansion of exclusive products, along with its new milk processing facility in Texas, suggest stronger control over supply chains and potentially better margins over time. How Walmart’s Dairy Push and Brand Partnerships At Walmart (WMT) Has Changed Its Investment Story
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reiterated its Walmart price target ahead of earnings, indicating Wall Street still sees the stock as fairly supported heading into the next report. Morgan Stanley reiterates Walmart stock price target pre-earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical analysts say WMT remains in an uptrend and could retest highs if it breaks above the $135 area, which may keep traders interested. Walmart: Consolidation In Uptrend Means New Highs Likely (Technical Analysis)
• Negative Sentiment: Walmart plans to cut or relocate about 1,000 corporate jobs as it consolidates global technology and AI teams; while this may improve efficiency, it also signals restructuring and near-term disruption. Walmart lays off or relocates about 1,000 corporate workers, WSJ reports
• Negative Sentiment: Separate reports of hedge fund stake trimming and margin pressure commentary may add some caution around the stock’s valuation and profitability outlook. SCS Capital Management trims Walmart stake, sells 42,396 shares

Insider Buying and Selling at Walmart

In related news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.72, for a total transaction of $361,688.00. Following the completion of 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at 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 the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.21, for a total value of $2,566,989.36. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,193,995 shares of the company's stock, valued at $554,488,078.95. This represents a 0.46% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 167,195 shares of company stock valued at $20,975,804 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on WMT. Bank of America began coverage on Walmart in a report on Friday, February 27th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $150.00 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 target price on Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. BTIG Research upped their target price on Walmart from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $145.00 target price on Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Guggenheim upped their target price on Walmart from $120.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. Two investment 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $138.67.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $130.35 on Wednesday. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $126.12 and its 200 day simple moving average is $118.70. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $91.89 and a one year high of $134.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.04 trillion, a PE ratio of 47.57, a PEG ratio of 4.75 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.24.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 analysts' expectations of $188.37 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.66 earnings per share. The firm'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. As a group, research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Walmart's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.13%.

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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