Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. Increases Stock Holdings in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. boosted its stake in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 7.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 149,406 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,979 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co.’s holdings in Walmart were worth $15,398,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.0% during the third quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 9,926 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $1,023,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Atlas Legacy Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Walmart by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Atlas Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 8,707 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $851,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Walmart by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Meridian Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,804 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $470,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management increased its stake in Walmart by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 5,695 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $586,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Boomfish Wealth Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Walmart by 2.7% during the third quarter. Boomfish Wealth Group LLC now owns 3,701 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $381,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of WMT opened at $125.74 on Thursday. Walmart Inc. has a 12-month low of $79.81 and a 12-month high of $134.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.00 trillion, a P/E ratio of 45.89, a P/E/G ratio of 5.12 and a beta of 0.65. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $119.97 and a 200 day moving average price of $109.81. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38.

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

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a $0.2475 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Walmart’s payout ratio is currently 34.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on WMT shares. CICC Research started coverage on Walmart in a research note on Friday, December 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $125.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $135.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, January 15th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Walmart in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $120.00 price target (up from $115.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Finally, Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and set a $147.00 price target (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $133.67.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results and execution — Walmart posted an earnings beat with revenue strength and reiterated FY guidance; investors are focusing on the company’s ability to grow sales and margins via e‑commerce and adjacent businesses. Retail Sector Earnings in Focus
• Positive Sentiment: Big capital return — Walmart completed a large buyback and authorized a new US$30 billion repurchase plan while raising the dividend, a direct boost to EPS potential and shareholder returns. How Investors May Respond To Walmart E‑commerce Strength And New Buyback Plan
• Positive Sentiment: Retail traction — Record U.S. grocery penetration and ~4.6% comp growth in the U.S. segment underline resilient traffic and pricing power that support profit leverage. Walmart hits its highest U.S. grocery penetration rate ever
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades/targets — Multiple firms have raised targets and reiterated buy/outperform ratings (TD Cowen, Telsey, Jefferies and others), supporting positive sentiment and helping push consensus targets higher. TD Cowen Raises Walmart Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: High‑profile endorsements — Commentators including Jim Cramer have framed Walmart as a consumer inflation “fighter,” which can attract momentum buying. Jim Cramer on Walmart
• Neutral Sentiment: Market/analyst commentary — Several pieces provide deeper context on FY outlook and valuation but don’t change consensus materially; useful for framing risk/reward. Assessing Walmart’s Valuation After Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — CEO John Furner and other senior execs disclosed sizable share sales this week; while often non‑negative for fundamentals, such sales can pressure near‑term sentiment. John Furner Sells Shares • EVP Insider Sales
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/headline risk — Management flagged labor‑market nuances (“hiring recession”) that could signal consumer fragility ahead; combined macro worries can blunt upside. Walmart Warns of “Hiring Recession”
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation — WMT is trading at a rich forward multiple versus peers; strong fundamentals mitigate this but a high P/E leaves the stock sensitive to any slip in execution. Dividend Raise and Valuation Discussion

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Donna Morris sold 76,181 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were 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. The trade was a 15.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.83, for a total transaction of $2,171,291.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 4,315,333 shares in the company, valued at $482,583,689.39. The trade was a 0.45% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 261,903 shares of company stock worth $31,496,959. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

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.