Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Increases Stock Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 31.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 65,414 shares of the retailer’s stock after buying an additional 15,806 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Walmart were worth $6,743,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. First National Bank of Hutchinson lifted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 69.0% during the 3rd quarter. First National Bank of Hutchinson now owns 52,423 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $5,403,000 after acquiring an additional 21,404 shares during the last quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Walmart by 24.3% in the third quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 63,038 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,497,000 after acquiring an additional 12,338 shares during the last quarter. Arkfeld Wealth Strategies L.L.C. raised 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 valued at $3,921,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. a16z Perennial Management L.P. bought a new stake in Walmart during the third quarter worth about $1,116,000. Finally, Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan lifted its stake in Walmart by 20.1% during the third quarter. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan now owns 120,478 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $12,419,000 after purchasing an additional 20,198 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Up 3.3%

Shares of NASDAQ WMT opened at $131.18 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $116.44 and its 200 day moving average is $107.15. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $79.81 and a 52 week high of $131.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company has a market cap of $1.05 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.87, a PEG ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 0.65.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.02. Walmart had a net margin of 3.26% and a return on equity of 21.31%. The business had revenue of $179.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $175.15 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.58 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Donna Morris sold 76,181 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.79, for a total value of $9,430,445.99. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 402,072 shares in the company, valued at approximately $49,772,492.88. This trade represents a 15.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.27, for a total value of $2,445,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 506,764 shares in the company, valued at $61,962,034.28. This trade represents a 3.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 229,196 shares of company stock valued at $26,957,858 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the topic of several recent research reports. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Walmart from $110.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $128.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $119.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Thursday, January 8th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $135.00 target price (up previously from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Thirty-two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $125.06.

Trending Headlines about 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 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.