National Pension Service Buys 280,762 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

National Pension Service increased its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 3.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,160,741 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 280,762 shares during the quarter. Walmart accounts for about 0.7% of National Pension Service’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. National Pension Service’s holdings in Walmart were worth $944,106,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 24.2% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,175,703 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $121,168,000 after purchasing an additional 229,220 shares during the last quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC raised its position in Walmart by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 5,091,126 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $497,771,000 after purchasing an additional 42,645 shares during the period. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Walmart by 16.6% during the 3rd quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 63,782 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $6,567,000 after acquiring an additional 9,061 shares during the last quarter. Aviva PLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart by 16.4% in the second quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 3,833,720 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $374,861,000 after purchasing an additional 539,504 shares during the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 5.2% in the third quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 293,866 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $30,286,000 after purchasing an additional 14,487 shares during the period. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Walmart news, EVP Daniel Danker sold 4,365 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.19, for a total value of $524,629.35. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 238,583 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,675,290.77. This trade represents a 1.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the business’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 sale, the chief executive officer directly 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 135,215 shares of company stock valued at $15,304,608 over the last ninety days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Walmart Stock Performance

Shares of Walmart stock opened at $119.14 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $949.57 billion, a PE ratio of 41.66, a P/E/G ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 0.66. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $114.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $105.95. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $79.81 and a one year 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.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 3.26% and a return on equity of 21.31%. The firm’s revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.58 earnings per share. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Walmart News Roundup

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Mizuho set a $125.00 price target on shares of Walmart and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $135.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday. Truist Financial set a $127.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $128.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Thirty-two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $123.37.

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.