New York State Teachers Retirement System Sells 79,715 Shares of Walmart Inc. $WMT

New York State Teachers Retirement System trimmed its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,526,028 shares of the retailer’s stock after selling 79,715 shares during the period. Walmart comprises 0.8% of New York State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. New York State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in Walmart were worth $392,835,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Walmart by 188.1% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,663,172 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $1,199,907,000 after purchasing an additional 7,614,172 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Walmart by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 439,957,146 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $49,015,626,000 after purchasing an additional 4,304,436 shares during the last quarter. Amundi grew its stake in Walmart by 20.5% in the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 23,497,921 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $2,413,236,000 after acquiring an additional 4,004,277 shares in the last quarter. Danske Bank A S bought a new position in Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth about $294,621,000. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC grew its stake in Walmart by 1,991.9% in the 2nd quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 2,549,719 shares of the retailer’s stock worth $249,312,000 after acquiring an additional 2,427,834 shares in the last quarter. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Walmart

In related news, EVP John D. Rainey sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.79, for a total transaction of $2,555,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 486,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $62,203,571.56. This represents a 3.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director C Douglas Mcmillon sold 19,416 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.21, for a total transaction of $2,566,989.36. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,193,995 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $554,488,078.95. The trade was a 0.46% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 263,376 shares of company stock valued at $32,851,650 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Walmart News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Walmart this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Large supply‑chain investment — Walmart opened its third owned milk processing facility (Robinson, TX) and is investing in milk capacity to strengthen domestic supply, lower costs and secure private‑label supply chains, which supports margin and product availability. Walmart Opens Third Owned and Operated Milk Processing Facility in Robinson, Texas, Creating More Than 400 New Jobs Walmart invests in new milk plant to grow US supply chain
• Positive Sentiment: Leadership redesign aimed at retention and execution — Walmart is eliminating the “store lead” role while expanding higher‑paid managerial positions to keep senior managers longer and accelerate store execution and merchandising (including a fashion push). Investors view this as a move to improve in‑store performance and strategic initiatives. Walmart redesigns its leadership pipeline as managers making $400K stay for longer
• Positive Sentiment: Local assortment strategy — Walmart is expanding local products in select markets to better match tightened consumer budgets and preferences, a tactical move that can drive traffic and margins in price‑sensitive areas. Walmart Eyes Local Products as National Consumer Mood Sours
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional buying — Alecta Pensionsforsakring increased its Walmart stake, a signal of confidence from a large investor that can support the stock. Alecta Pensionsforsakring Boosts Walmart Stake by 406,400 Shares
• Neutral Sentiment: Local store capital projects — Walmart is earmarking millions for upgrades at multiple Arizona stores; store refreshes can boost sales but also represent near‑term capital spend. Walmart earmarks millions for multiple Arizona store upgrades
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and media bullish coverage — Several pieces summarize bullish theses on WMT and recommend the stock as retail sentiment improves; these articles can reinforce positive investor sentiment but are not new company actions. Is Walmart Inc. (WMT) A Good Stock To Buy Now? Is Walmart Inc. (WMT) A Good Stock To Buy Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate social impact — Walmart’s Acres for America grants were announced; positive for ESG profile but unlikely to move near‑term fundamentals. NFWF Announces $5.4 Million in Grants from Walmart’s Acres for America Program
• Negative Sentiment: Cost and near‑term margin risk — The combination of higher‑paid manager roles and heavy capital/supply‑chain investments (e.g., $350M+ milk facilities) could weigh on near‑term margins and free cash flow before benefits are realized. Walmart eliminates store lead positions as managers making $400K stay for longer

Walmart Price Performance

Shares of WMT opened at $131.93 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $125.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $117.56. Walmart Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $91.89 and a fifty-two week high of $134.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.05 trillion, a PE ratio of 48.15, a PEG ratio of 4.77 and a beta of 0.66. 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 (NASDAQ:WMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The retailer reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $190.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $188.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.66 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Walmart has set its FY 2027 guidance at 2.750-2.850 EPS and its Q1 2027 guidance at 0.610-0.610 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Walmart Inc. will post 2.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Walmart’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.13%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Walmart from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $140.00 target price (up from $130.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 target price (up from $136.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and issued a $147.00 target price (up from $120.00) on shares of Walmart in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $138.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $137.79.

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.