Walmart Inc. $WMT Stock Position Increased by Capital Research Global Investors

Capital Research Global Investors boosted its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,889,872 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 4,802 shares during the quarter. Capital Research Global Investors’ holdings in Walmart were worth $194,770,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Walmart by 0.9% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 435,652,710 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $44,898,368,000 after buying an additional 3,835,200 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position 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 purchasing an additional 263,718 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the 2nd quarter valued at $5,367,770,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Walmart by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 40,298,623 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $4,153,176,000 after purchasing an additional 634,211 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Walmart by 3.6% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 31,973,329 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $3,126,775,000 after buying an additional 1,098,342 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on WMT. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $145.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $138.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $145.00 price objective on Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $140.00 target price (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and set a $140.00 price target (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $135.76.

Walmart Trading Down 1.3%

NASDAQ:WMT opened at $123.49 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $984.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.07, a P/E/G ratio of 4.66 and a beta of 0.66. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $122.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $111.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.79. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $79.81 and a 52 week high of $134.69.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $188.37 billion. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The company’s revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.66 earnings per share. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.2475 per share. This represents a $0.99 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is 36.13%.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In other Walmart news, EVP Latriece Watkins sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $121.46, for a total transaction of $1,214,600.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 108,294 shares in the company, valued at $13,153,389.24. This trade represents a 8.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total transaction of $4,158,004.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 533,466 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,082,852. This represents a 6.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 279,703 shares of company stock worth $34,140,843 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walmart News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart-backed Flipkart is reportedly preparing for an IPO as soon as this year — an eventual listing could unlock value for Walmart’s investment, attract new investor interest, and be a longer-term positive for WMT’s equity story. Walmart-backed Flipkart preps for an IPO as early as this year
• Positive Sentiment: BofA interprets OpenAI’s pullback on direct shopping inside ChatGPT as a net positive for Walmart, as it reduces a near-term competitive threat to Walmart’s e‑commerce and advertising growth plans. That view supports WMT’s digital/omnichannel outlook. BofA Calls Open AI News a Positive for Walmart Inc. (WMT)
• Positive Sentiment: An idea piece highlights ETFs that could benefit as consumers tighten budgets, signaling potential sector tailwinds for discount and warehouse retailers like Walmart if shoppers remain value‑focused. 3 ETFs That Could Benefit as Consumers Tighten Their Budgets (WMT)
• Positive Sentiment: 7 Brew is rolling out Ready‑to‑Drink coffees in Walmart stores across Arkansas — a small merchandising win that can incrementally boost in‑store sales and assortment breadth. 7 Brew Launches Ready‑to‑Drink Coffees in Walmart Stores Across Arkansas
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation/momentum coverage notes recent share-price moves (strong 1‑year TSR and mixed short‑term performance). This piece provides context for why some investors may be trimming positions after a run. A Look At Walmart (WMT) Valuation After Recent Share Price Momentum
• Neutral Sentiment: Worldly hired a former Walmart human‑rights senior director to lead social‑risk strategy — notable for reputation and supply‑chain governance but unlikely to move the stock materially. Worldly Hires Former Walmart Human Rights Senior Director to Lead Social Risk Strategy
• Negative Sentiment: An analyst/compare piece argues Costco may be the better buy given its membership economics and comp performance — such comparisons can weigh on Walmart’s relative valuation and encourage rotation into perceived higher‑quality retail names. Walmart vs. Costco: Which Stock Is the Better Buy?

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.