Vanguard Group Inc. Has $44.90 Billion Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 0.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 435,652,710 shares of the retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,835,200 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for 0.7% of Vanguard Group Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 5.46% of Walmart worth $44,898,368,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Collier Financial acquired a new position in Walmart in the third quarter worth $25,000. Access Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Walmart in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Your Advocates Ltd. LLP acquired a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Roble Belko & Company Inc grew its holdings in Walmart by 212.6% during the 3rd quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 322 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth about $39,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Walmart

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Oppenheimer raised its price target to $140 and kept an Outperform stance, citing a solid Q4 outlook — this helped underpin investor optimism. Oppenheimer price target increased
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage-driven buying: reports noted WMT trading higher after analyst upgrades, which can attract short-term flows ahead of earnings. Walmart trading higher after upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Telsey Advisory reaffirmed an Outperform and set a $135 target, reinforcing the buy-side narrative that execution improvements (esp. e‑commerce/AI) justify support. Telsey reaffirmation
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst projections and previews (Zacks) suggest key metrics point to a likely beat on some lines, but they highlight modest growth — expectations are elevated going into Q4. Zacks analyst projections
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart will host its Q4 earnings call on Feb. 19 — this event is the immediate catalyst for volatility as investors weigh AI-driven margin commentary against guidance. Earnings call announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: PRIMECAP trimmed its stake slightly — notable as an institutional action but not large enough to indicate a major shift in ownership stance. PRIMECAP trims stake
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary (Reuters) frames Walmart amid broader AI-driven volatility — investors are watchful for any guidance or AI-related execution risks discussed on the call. Wall St week ahead
• Negative Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha piece downgraded WMT, arguing the stock trades at a rich ~50x blended P/E despite execution gains from AI — valuation concerns could cap upside if growth disappoints. Seeking Alpha downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Estée Lauder filed suit alleging counterfeit products sold via Walmart’s marketplace — potential reputational, legal, and marketplace-control implications that investors will watch closely. Estée Lauder sues Walmart

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 1,388 shares of Walmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total transaction of $166,560.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 645,642 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $77,477,040. This trade represents a 0.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the company’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 transaction of $2,445,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 506,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $61,962,034.28. The trade was a 3.80% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 227,566 shares of company stock worth $26,790,653 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walmart Stock Performance

WMT stock opened at $133.89 on Monday. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $79.81 and a twelve month high of $134.65. 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 $1.07 trillion, a P/E ratio of 46.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.12 and a beta of 0.65. The business’s fifty day moving average is $118.11 and its 200-day moving average is $108.39.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 20th. The retailer reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.58 earnings per share. The firm’s 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 forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the topic of a number of research reports. DA Davidson set a $130.00 target price on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective (up previously from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, February 9th. BTIG Research lifted their target price on Walmart from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, CICC Research started coverage on Walmart in a research note on Friday, December 26th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $125.00 price target on the stock. Thirty-two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $127.74.

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.