Alps Advisors Inc. Boosts Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Alps Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 24.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 63,038 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,338 shares during the quarter. Alps Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $6,497,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Arkfeld Wealth Strategies L.L.C. lifted its position in Walmart by 0.4% during the third quarter. Arkfeld Wealth Strategies L.L.C. now owns 38,419 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $3,921,000 after buying an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. a16z Perennial Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth $1,116,000. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 20.1% during the 3rd quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan now owns 120,478 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $12,419,000 after acquiring an additional 20,198 shares during the period. Wealthquest Corp boosted its position in shares of Walmart by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wealthquest Corp now owns 10,474 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,079,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 141.5% in the third quarter. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,292 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $545,000 after purchasing an additional 3,101 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Walmart Price Performance

WMT stock opened at $131.18 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $116.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $107.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.05 trillion, a P/E ratio of 45.87, a P/E/G ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 0.65. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $79.81 and a 1 year high of $131.70.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on WMT shares. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $125.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $147.00 price target (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $125.06.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP Donna Morris sold 76,181 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.79, for a total transaction of $9,430,445.99. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 402,072 shares in the company, valued at $49,772,492.88. This represents a 15.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.83, for a total transaction of $2,171,291.28. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 4,315,333 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $482,583,689.39. This trade represents a 0.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 229,196 shares of company stock valued at $26,957,858. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart joined the trillion‑dollar market‑cap club, boosting investor confidence that its investments in e‑commerce, tech and higher‑margin services are being rewarded. Walmart Trillion-Dollar Club (Fool)
• Positive Sentiment: Evidence of accelerating Walmart+ paid‑membership adoption supports a path to more recurring, higher‑margin revenue — a key part of the bull thesis. Walmart paid membership growth (Seeking Alpha)
• Positive Sentiment: Large institutional buying (e.g., Alecta boosting its stake) is a vote of confidence from some money managers and can support the stock at higher levels. Alecta boosts stake in Walmart (TipRanks)
• Positive Sentiment: Retail commentator Tim Bohen flagged Walmart among his “Big 3” long‑term AI/retail ideas, reinforcing positive retail investor narratives. The Big 3: BE, WMT, XPO (YouTube)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage is tilted positive but consensus targets are near current prices; recent quarterly results beat estimates and FY‑26 EPS guidance is modest — upside now depends on continued execution. Zacks: Earnings ESP for retailers
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling (EVP Donna Morris and others disclosed multi‑million dollar stock sales this week) can create short‑term selling pressure or be read as executives monetizing gains. Walmart insider selling (InsiderTrades)
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive risk from Amazon’s physical grocery/fulfillment push and Walmart’s elevated multiples mean any slowdown in sales or margin mix could trigger a pullback. Amazon grocery competition (Reuters)

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.