Korea Investment CORP Reduces Stock Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Korea Investment CORP decreased its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 2.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,594,315 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 91,006 shares during the period. Walmart comprises approximately 0.8% of Korea Investment CORP’s holdings, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Korea Investment CORP’s holdings in Walmart were worth $370,430,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in Walmart in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Walmart during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 212.6% in the third quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 322 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the period. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 26.76% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.10, for a total value of $1,694,437.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 591,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $76,308,944.40. This trade represents a 2.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christopher James Nicholas sold 34,082 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.00, for a total value of $4,158,004.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 533,466 shares in the company, valued at approximately $65,082,852. This trade represents a 6.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 279,703 shares of company stock valued at $34,140,843 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT stock opened at $123.80 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $121.87 and its 200 day moving average is $111.00. Walmart Inc. has a 1-year low of $79.81 and a 1-year high of $134.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.24. The company has a market cap of $986.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.18, a PEG ratio of 4.61 and a beta of 0.66.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. Walmart had a net margin of 3.07% and a return on equity of 21.44%. The business had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $188.37 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.66 earnings per share. The firm’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. Research analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on WMT. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, February 20th. Wall Street Zen lowered Walmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, January 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $120.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $140.00 target price (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Walmart from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $135.76.

Walmart News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: OpenAI reportedly pulling back on direct purchases in ChatGPT could send more checkout traffic to retailer apps, giving Walmart’s commerce and app ecosystem an advantage. ChatGPT’s Retail Retreat Hands Walmart An AI Advantage: Analyst
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary and re‑rated fair‑value models are lifting the tech/AI narrative around Walmart, producing higher price targets and supporting upside expectations from investors focused on digital and ads monetization. How Walmart (WMT) Is Rewriting Its Story With Tech, AI And A Richer Valuation Debate
• Positive Sentiment: Company execution reminders — new store formats and ongoing omnichannel growth — reinforce the core retail case that underpins earnings stability. Walmart Opens Next Generation Supercenter in The Villages
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention is high — search and readership spikes (Zacks/Yahoo) and conference transcripts give analysts more to parse but contain no single market‑moving surprise. Investors Heavily Search Walmart Inc. (WMT): Here is What You Need to Know
• Negative Sentiment: A reported sale by a 10% Walmart owner totaling roughly $136.45M adds supply pressure and can prompt short‑term negative sentiment despite not reflecting company fundamentals. 10% Owner Of Walmart Sold $136.45M In Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Analyses highlight a cautious forward outlook and attention to a ~$100M regulatory settlement tied to the Spark Driver program — both factors that pressured the stock in recent sessions. Walmart slides as cautious outlook and regulatory settlement weigh on sentiment
• Negative Sentiment: Ongoing tariff and import risks remain a margin headwind risk given Walmart’s large import footprint; rising trade frictions could pressure costs if not passed to customers. Walmart: Navigating A Bumpy Tariff Environment

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.