Walmart Inc. $WMT Shares Bought by Affiance Financial LLC

Affiance Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 672.0% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 20,357 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 17,720 shares during the quarter. Affiance Financial LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $2,098,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 431,817,510 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $42,223,116,000 after purchasing an additional 5,856,468 shares in the last quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 397,264.9% during the second quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 104,514,912 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $10,496,702,000 after buying an additional 104,488,610 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 0.3% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 94,557,532 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $9,199,712,000 after buying an additional 263,718 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the second quarter valued at about $5,367,770,000. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.6% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 31,973,329 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,126,775,000 after buying an additional 1,098,342 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. DA Davidson set a $130.00 target price on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Tigress Financial boosted their target price on Walmart from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $122.00 price target (up previously from $118.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, November 21st. Finally, BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $125.00 price objective (up previously from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Thirty-one investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $120.54.

Walmart Trading Down 1.5%

WMT opened at $110.90 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $883.89 billion, a PE ratio of 38.78, a P/E/G ratio of 5.20 and a beta of 0.64. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $79.81 and a one year high of $117.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.80. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $107.89 and its 200 day moving average price is $102.30.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.02. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.31% and a net margin of 3.26%.The company had revenue of $179.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $175.15 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.58 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $115.21, for a total value of $460,840.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,031,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $118,833,930.55. This represents a 0.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,425 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $117.00, for a total transaction of $166,725.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 641,363 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $75,039,471. This represents a 0.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 127,828 shares of company stock worth $13,745,625 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Key Stores Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart’s advertising business grew rapidly this quarter — ad sales jumped ~53%, helping lift margins and diversify the company’s profit mix, which could support higher long-term operating leverage. Walmart’s Ad Sales Jump 53%: Is Advertising Becoming a Profit Engine?
• Positive Sentiment: Broader retail strength from a record holiday shopping season (holiday sales topping $1T) is a tailwind for large discount retailers like Walmart and could support comps and market share in 2026. Holiday Sales Boom: 4 Retail Stocks Ready for 2026 Gains
• Negative Sentiment: A newly reported lawsuit is being called a major near-term headwind and is cited in market coverage as a key reason for the stock’s decline today; legal risk and potential liabilities are prompting investor caution. Walmart Stock Is Falling — New Lawsuit Is Hurting The Most
• Negative Sentiment: A bearish take projecting Walmart shares to $80 surfaced, which may amplify negative sentiment by highlighting valuation downside and feeding momentum selling. Walmart Stock To $80?
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider selling by an EVP (transactions totaling roughly $1.97M across filings) has been reported; while insider sales aren’t proof of company problems, they often prompt short-term selling or concern among investors. Insider Selling: Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) EVP Sells $1,508,193.75 in Stock Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) EVP Sells $460,840.00 in Stock

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.