TIAA Trust National Association Raises Stake in Walmart Inc. $WMT

TIAA Trust National Association increased its holdings in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 3.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 568,734 shares of the retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 19,112 shares during the quarter. TIAA Trust National Association’s holdings in Walmart were worth $58,614,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WMT. Fox Run Management L.L.C. acquired a new position in shares of Walmart in the third quarter worth about $1,709,000. CWM LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 24.2% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,175,703 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $121,168,000 after purchasing an additional 229,220 shares in the last quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC increased its holdings in Walmart by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 5,091,126 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $497,771,000 after purchasing an additional 42,645 shares during the last quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. raised its position in shares of Walmart by 16.6% in the 3rd quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 63,782 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $6,567,000 after purchasing an additional 9,061 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aviva PLC boosted its stake in shares of Walmart by 16.4% during the 2nd quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 3,833,720 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $374,861,000 after buying an additional 539,504 shares during the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Brokerages maintain a favorable view: several firms give Walmart a “Moderate Buy” consensus and Bernstein recently raised its price target to $134, citing a modest Q4 beat and continued momentum. Walmart Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” Street Optimism Builds Around Walmart
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic tech and merchandising moves — rollout of “Scintilla In‑Store” (real‑time store data + AI tools) and national expansion of new brands — support longer‑term margin and assortment gains, and strengthen Walmart’s ad/marketplace story. Walmart Supplier Tech And New Brands Reframe Stores As Data Platforms
• Positive Sentiment: Macro/valuation narrative: Walmart’s scale and diversified growth (ecommerce, advertising, marketplace, 3P fulfillment) have kept it in the conversation as a trillion‑dollar+ consumer franchise, which can limit downside on headline setbacks. 2 non-tech stocks to hit $1 trillion market cap
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart management will participate in upcoming investor events with webcasts available on its IR site — a chance for management to reinforce guidance and strategy but not an immediate catalyst. Walmart Leadership to Participate in Upcoming Investor Events
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/commentary coverage remains constructive on execution and “adjacent” businesses (Zacks notes ongoing momentum), and commentators like Jim Cramer highlight Walmart as an inflation‑fighter — supportive sentiment but not immediate earnings impact. Retail Sector Earnings in Focus Walmart Might Be the Biggest Inflation Fighter
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory/legal hit: Walmart agreed to settle FTC claims over deceptive pay/tip disclosures in its Spark delivery program for roughly $100 million, which includes about $16 million earmarked for driver payouts. The settlement raises regulatory and reputational risks for the Spark/gig business and may increase compliance costs going forward. Walmart Agrees to $100 Million FTC Settlement Over Driver Pay Walmart agrees to pay $16M to Spark drivers Walmart agrees to $100M settlement over deceptive pay practices

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.99, for a total transaction of $1,574,868.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 727,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $87,251,328.45. The trade was a 1.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.27, for a total transaction of $2,445,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 506,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $61,962,034.28. This represents a 3.80% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 242,487 shares of company stock worth $29,369,548 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WMT. CICC Research initiated coverage on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, December 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $125.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $135.00 target price (up from $125.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Tigress Financial set a $150.00 price target on shares of Walmart and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $120.00 price target on Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty-one have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Walmart has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $134.42.

Walmart Trading Down 1.1%

NASDAQ WMT opened at $124.42 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.79. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $79.81 and a one year high of $134.69. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $120.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $109.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $991.65 billion, a PE ratio of 45.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.07 and a beta of 0.65.

Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $190.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.66 earnings per share. 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. On average, equities analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 4th. Investors of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $0.2475 per share. 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%.

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.