Rakuten Investment Management Inc. Takes $689,000 Position in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 6,686 shares of the retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $689,000.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Walmart in the second quarter valued at about $5,367,770,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake 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 purchasing an additional 11,368,549 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Walmart by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 431,817,510 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $42,223,116,000 after buying an additional 5,856,468 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 3,710,506 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AGF Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Walmart by 1,176.6% in the 2nd quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 3,317,487 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $324,384,000 after buying an additional 3,057,612 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 26.76% of the company’s stock.

Walmart News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Tigress Financial raised its price target on WMT from $130 to $135 and kept a “buy” rating, implying roughly a mid-teens upside vs. current levels — a catalyst that can attract momentum and fund flows. Tigress price target raise
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces from Zacks highlight WMT as a growth/retail pick and promote using their Earnings ESP tool to find potential upside ahead of quarters — these pieces can bolster investor interest but are promotional rather than firm-moving. Zacks Earnings ESP article
• Neutral Sentiment: Another Zacks piece profiles Walmart as a “strong growth stock” using its style scores — supportive for longer-term investor narratives but unlikely to move the stock materially on its own. Zacks growth profile
• Neutral Sentiment: A Yahoo video piece outlines three priorities for Walmart’s CEO to maintain momentum — useful context on management focus that may shape execution expectations but not an immediate market mover. Yahoo CEO priorities video
• Negative Sentiment: CEO C. Douglas McMillon sold 19,416 shares for about $2.31M (reported 1/22). The sale reduced his stake by ~0.45% — a modest ownership decline but an optics negative that can weigh on sentiment when combined with near-term weakness. SEC Form 4: McMillon sale
• Negative Sentiment: Market reports note recent short-term share weakness (a daily slide reported on 1/22). That intraday/short-term weakness can amplify selling even as fundamentals remain intact. Zacks: stock slides

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on WMT. CICC Research assumed coverage on Walmart in a research report on Friday, December 26th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $125.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group set a $130.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Mizuho set a $125.00 target price on Walmart and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $120.00 price target (up previously from $115.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Friday, November 21st. Finally, Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and set a $125.00 price objective (up previously from $115.00) on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Thirty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $123.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.91, for a total transaction of $1,508,193.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 733,841 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $84,325,669.31. The trade was a 1.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Donna Morris sold 9,384 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.19, for a total value of $1,127,862.96. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 536,312 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $64,459,339.28. This represents a 1.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:WMT opened at $117.73 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $938.33 billion, a PE ratio of 41.16, a P/E/G ratio of 5.02 and a beta of 0.66. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $113.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $105.26. Walmart Inc. has a 1 year low of $79.81 and a 1 year high of $121.62.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $179.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $175.15 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.58 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Walmart has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.580-2.630 EPS. Analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.