New York State Teachers Retirement System Sells 78,669 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

New York State Teachers Retirement System cut its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 3,605,743 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 78,669 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises 0.7% of New York State Teachers Retirement System’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. New York State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in Walmart were worth $371,608,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Access Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Walmart during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. PFS Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Walmart by 267.8% in the 2nd quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 320 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the period. Ridgewood Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 55.3% during the 2nd quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 323 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc increased its position in shares of Walmart by 212.6% during the third quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 322 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 219 shares during the period. Finally, Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the second quarter valued at about $44,000. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on WMT shares. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Evercore ISI set a $120.00 price objective on Walmart and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Walmart from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Thirty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $122.37.

Walmart Trading Up 1.3%

Walmart stock opened at $114.53 on Monday. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $79.81 and a 12 month high of $117.45. The company has a market capitalization of $912.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.29 and a beta of 0.66. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $109.73 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $103.81. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.78, for a total value of $1,414,612.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 892,940 shares in the company, valued at approximately $96,241,073.20. This represents a 1.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.63, for a total transaction of $406,520.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 1,040,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $105,741,441.65. The trade was a 0.38% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 125,628 shares of company stock valued at $13,690,065 over the last ninety days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays reiterated its Buy rating on WMT, reinforcing institutional confidence in Walmart’s outlook and supporting demand for the stock. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho raised its price target to $125 (from $115) and kept an Outperform/Overweight view, signaling upward analyst momentum that can boost buying interest. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo also lifted its target to $130 and remains constructive on Walmart, adding to the analyst support narrative behind the rally. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart launched “Better Care Services,” a digital healthcare platform and lowered prices on some health items — a strategic push that could expand margins and services revenue over time. Analysts are re-assessing valuation with this new health push in mind. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart added Shishir Mehrotra (ex-Grammarly/Superhuman) to its board — a governance move emphasizing AI and e‑commerce expertise that investors view as strengthening Walmart’s tech roadmap. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart launched a celebrity fashion line (Millie Bobby Brown) aimed at teens and young women — a branding/merchandising boost but likely modest near-term financial impact. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market coverage notes (Zacks, Kalkine, AmericanBankingNews) show elevated investor attention and a consensus “moderate buy,” which keeps the stock in focus but doesn’t single-handedly move fundamentals. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Amazon received approval to build a 225,000 sq ft Walmart-style supercenter near Chicago that would blend in-store shopping with fulfillment — a clear competitive threat to Walmart’s grocery and omnichannel footprint in key markets. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Deutsche Bank downgraded Walmart from Buy to Hold with a $119 target, signaling some analyst caution (limits upside relative to recent price moves) and adding selling pressure for more risk‑sensitive investors. Read More.

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.