Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Acquired by Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.

Key Points

• Mirae Asset Global Investments increased its Walmart stake by 16.6% in Q4, buying an additional 135,141 shares to own 951,146 shares worth about $105.97 million.
• Analysts are broadly bullish on Walmart — MarketBeat shows an average rating of Buy (two Strong Buy, thirty Buy, two Hold) with an average price target of $137.64.
• Walmart announced strategic growth moves — a U.S. store modernization program (around 650+ remodels and ~20 new openings through 2027), expanded health/weight‑management services tied to GLP‑1s, and Flipkart entering India’s ticketing market — while several senior executives sold shares under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, creating potential short-term headline risk.

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT - Free Report) by 16.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 951,146 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 135,141 shares during the quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $105,967,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Collier Financial acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Beacon Financial Strategies CORP acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Clayton Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 193.0% in the 4th 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 last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. DA Davidson set a $150.00 target price on Walmart and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $120.00 target price on Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Telsey Advisory Group raised their target price on Walmart from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Roth Mkm reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $138.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised Walmart from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $137.64.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 2,900 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction 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 approximately $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.84, for a total value of $1,638,525.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 674,162 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $84,162,384.08. The trade was a 1.91% 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. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 263,376 shares of company stock valued at $32,598,466. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $127.50 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $1.02 trillion, a PE ratio of 46.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 0.66. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $125.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $115.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $91.34 and a 12 month high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.73 by $0.01. The business 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%.Walmart's revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.66 earnings per share. 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company announces its largest U.S. store modernization program — 650+ remodels and ~20 new openings through 2027 to improve layouts, tech, pickup and delivery integration, aimed at accelerating omnichannel sales and same-store traffic. Walmart Modernizes U.S. Stores As Omnichannel Investment Meets Fair Value Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart is expanding health/weight-management services (Better Care Services) to support customers using or exploring GLP-1s — a higher-margin service layer that can drive pharmacy and virtual-care revenue and deepen customer engagement. Walmart Expands Access to Weight Management Support Services for Customers on or exploring GLP-1s
• Positive Sentiment: Flipkart (Walmart-owned) plans to enter India’s ticketing market for movies and live events, offering a new revenue stream in a fast-growing entertainment sector and strengthening Flipkart’s consumer proposition. Walmart's Flipkart plans foray into India's ticketing market as live events boom
• Positive Sentiment: A small institutional buyer (BCS Wealth Management) increased its WMT stake, a sign of incremental fund interest though not a major ownership shift. BCS Wealth Management Has $1.61 Million Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart is refreshing its Great Value private-label packaging — a brand update that can support shelf appeal and private-label mix but is unlikely to move near-term revenue materially. Walmart announces a redesign of its Great Value brand
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart launched branded fashion collaborations (e.g., a Devil Wears Prada collection) — useful for marketing and traffic but unlikely to be a major earnings driver. Fashion moves: Walmart launches a collection tied to The Devil Wears Prada
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary on potential Sam’s Club membership fee increases could help U.S. club margins if implemented, but the competitive impact vs. Costco remains uncertain. Will Increased Membership Fees at Walmart's Sam's Club Actually Boost Costco's Stock Instead?
• Negative Sentiment: Several senior executives sold shares over April 15–16 (EVPs Daniel Bartlett and Christopher Nicholas, and CEO John Furner). Each sale was small relative to holdings and executed under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, but the headline risk can create short-term selling pressure or negative investor perception. Daniel J. Bartlett Form 4 Christopher James Nicholas Form 4 John R. Furner Form 4

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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