Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Boosts Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 12.3% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 2,679,722 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 294,545 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises approximately 0.5% of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Walmart were worth $276,172,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Walmart by 28.8% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 98,150 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $8,868,000 after buying an additional 21,939 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,849 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $800,000 after acquiring an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 3.5% in the first quarter. Peterson Wealth Management now owns 50,307 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $4,416,000 after purchasing an additional 1,715 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its position in Walmart by 0.9% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 13,008 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,272,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cliftonlarsonallen Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Walmart by 18.3% during the second quarter. Cliftonlarsonallen Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 20,548 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,009,000 after purchasing an additional 3,175 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $119.14 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $114.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $106.03. Walmart Inc. has a 52-week low of $79.81 and a 52-week high of $121.62. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $949.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.66, a P/E/G ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 prior year, the company posted $0.58 EPS. Walmart’s quarterly revenue 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, sell-side analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Key Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Leadership change signals digital focus — John Furner will become CEO of Walmart Inc. on Feb. 1, a move markets interpret as a deliberate shift to accelerate Walmart’s digital footprint and omnichannel execution, which could support long‑term revenue and margin expansion. Walmart’s Choice for New CEO Signals Intent to Expand Digital Footprint
• Positive Sentiment: Scale and top-line strength — a recent review highlights Walmart generated roughly $681 billion in revenue in fiscal 2025 (about $1.87B/day), underscoring the company’s dominant scale that supports bargaining power, assortment investment, and steady cash flow. Walmart’s $611 Billion Annual Revenue: Breaking Down $1.7 Billion Per Day
• Positive Sentiment: Front‑line investment in pharmacy staff — Walmart is boosting pay and elevating about 3,000 pharmacy roles, which should help reduce turnover, improve service in a high‑margin category, and support healthcare strategy. That operational investment is viewed positively for execution and customer experience. Walmart boosting pay potential for pharmacy technicians, elevates 3,000 roles
• Neutral Sentiment: Competitive landscape remains intense — coverage highlights ongoing competition between Walmart and Amazon across grocery and healthcare, a reminder that pricing and logistics arms races could pressure margins even as Walmart scales services. Amazon, Walmart Fight War on 2 Fronts: Grocery and Healthcare
• Neutral Sentiment: Merchandising promotions — brands like Cate & Chloe are featuring product assortments on Walmart.com for seasonal gifting (Valentine’s), which supports e‑commerce assortment and marketing but is not material alone. Cate & Chloe Highlights Valentine’s Day Hoop Earrings Available at Walmart
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader retail PR and community efforts — unrelated consumer goods relief efforts (e.g., P&G storm relief) reflect sector-wide CSR activity; positive for brand but limited direct impact on Walmart’s near‑term financials. PROCTER & GAMBLE BRINGS RELIEF TO MISSISSIPPI RESIDENTS AFFECTED BY SEVERE WINTER STORM

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Mizuho set a $125.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $119.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $121.00 price objective on Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Thirty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $123.37.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.83, for a total transaction of $2,171,291.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 4,315,333 shares in the company, valued at $482,583,689.39. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Donna Morris sold 9,384 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.19, for a total transaction of $1,127,862.96. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 536,312 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $64,459,339.28. This trade represents a 1.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 135,215 shares of company stock worth $15,304,608 over the last ninety days. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.