Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC Acquires 19,780 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 26.1% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 95,550 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 19,780 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $9,847,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Walmart during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $5,367,770,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 9,648.7% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,486,374 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,123,138,000 after buying an additional 11,368,549 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.4% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 431,817,510 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $42,223,116,000 after buying an additional 5,856,468 shares in the last quarter. Amundi increased its holdings in Walmart by 23.5% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 19,493,644 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,902,775,000 after buying an additional 3,710,506 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AGF Management Ltd. raised its position in Walmart by 1,176.6% during the second quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 3,317,487 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $324,384,000 after acquiring an additional 3,057,612 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on WMT shares. DA Davidson set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Walmart and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $135.00 target price (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Walmart from $110.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Mizuho set a $125.00 price target on Walmart and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $135.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Thirty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $124.19.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,388 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total value of $166,560.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 645,642 shares in the company, valued at approximately $77,477,040. This represents a 0.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.27, for a total transaction of $2,445,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 506,764 shares in the company, valued at approximately $61,962,034.28. This represents a 3.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 153,015 shares of company stock valued at $17,527,412 in the last 90 days. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Walmart Price Performance

Walmart stock opened at $127.71 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.02 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.65, a PEG ratio of 4.71 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Walmart Inc. has a 12 month low of $79.81 and a 12 month high of $128.16. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $115.30 and its 200-day moving average is $106.54.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $179.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $175.15 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.58 EPS. The firm’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. Equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

More Walmart News

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Walmart hit a historic >$1 trillion market capitalization as shares rose on enthusiasm for e‑commerce growth, AI integration and strategic investments that have shifted investor perception toward a tech-enabled retailer. Walmart cracks into the $1 trillion club
• Positive Sentiment: Leadership continuity: John Furner’s promotion to CEO (internal hire with a long Walmart track record) reduces execution risk associated with a management transition and reassures investors focused on continuing the company’s digital transformation. Walmart Names New CEO
• Positive Sentiment: Walmart+ membership is accelerating (reported ~28.4M members, double‑digit growth), supporting recurring revenue and higher-margin services that help justify a premium valuation. Walmart+ Paid Membership Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage is broadly positive (many Buy/Moderate Buy ratings), but consensus 12‑month targets are not far above current levels—suggesting limited near‑term upside in some models. Analyst Ratings
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart’s defensive retail positioning and status as a Dividend King make it attractive in a sector rotation into staples; that supports steady investor demand but limits rapid re‑rating potential. Dividend stock context
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure: Amazon’s ongoing acceleration of same‑ and next‑day delivery raises the bar on fulfillment speed and could force Walmart to increase investments that compress margins. Amazon delivery pressure
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation risk: Walmart now trades at elevated multiples (high P/E and PEG), so the stock’s upside depends on continued execution; a slowdown in same‑store sales or margin mix could trigger a pullback.

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.