Aberdeen Group plc Has $387.01 Million Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Aberdeen Group plc raised its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 21.1% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 3,734,201 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 650,995 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for approximately 0.6% of Aberdeen Group plc’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Aberdeen Group plc’s holdings in Walmart were worth $387,013,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Collier Financial bought a new stake in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Access Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the second quarter valued at $26,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 212.6% during the 3rd quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 322 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth about $39,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.83, for a total value of $2,171,291.28. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.75, for a total transaction of $1,374,843.75. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 879,815 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $92,160,621.25. This represents a 1.47% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 229,196 shares of company stock valued at $26,957,858. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on WMT shares. CICC Research initiated coverage on Walmart in a research note on Friday, December 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $125.00 price target for the company. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $120.00 target price (up previously from $115.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $132.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday. Finally, KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating and set a $145.00 target price (up previously from $128.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday. Thirty-two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $127.74.

Walmart Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of WMT opened at $133.89 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.80. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $79.81 and a 52 week high of $134.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.07 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.81, a PEG ratio of 5.12 and a beta of 0.65. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $118.11 and a 200-day moving average of $108.32.

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

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Oppenheimer raised its price target to $140 and kept an Outperform stance, citing a solid Q4 outlook — this helped underpin investor optimism. Oppenheimer price target increased
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage-driven buying: reports noted WMT trading higher after analyst upgrades, which can attract short-term flows ahead of earnings. Walmart trading higher after upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Telsey Advisory reaffirmed an Outperform and set a $135 target, reinforcing the buy-side narrative that execution improvements (esp. e‑commerce/AI) justify support. Telsey reaffirmation
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst projections and previews (Zacks) suggest key metrics point to a likely beat on some lines, but they highlight modest growth — expectations are elevated going into Q4. Zacks analyst projections
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart will host its Q4 earnings call on Feb. 19 — this event is the immediate catalyst for volatility as investors weigh AI-driven margin commentary against guidance. Earnings call announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: PRIMECAP trimmed its stake slightly — notable as an institutional action but not large enough to indicate a major shift in ownership stance. PRIMECAP trims stake
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary (Reuters) frames Walmart amid broader AI-driven volatility — investors are watchful for any guidance or AI-related execution risks discussed on the call. Wall St week ahead
• Negative Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha piece downgraded WMT, arguing the stock trades at a rich ~50x blended P/E despite execution gains from AI — valuation concerns could cap upside if growth disappoints. Seeking Alpha downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Estée Lauder filed suit alleging counterfeit products sold via Walmart’s marketplace — potential reputational, legal, and marketplace-control implications that investors will watch closely. Estée Lauder sues Walmart

Walmart 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.